Hell Island
by Lady Lorene
Summary: Sort of a Season six story line. What happens when the Mall Rats encounter new and old faces?Will they stay a tribe, or seperate...Haven't seen season five, so bare with me....
1. Hell Island

Chapter 1  
  
The green welcome sign was trashed. Dents left it to look like a mangled piece of meat, and spray paint covered most of it. The sign now welcomed people to HELL instead of SEASHELL ISLAND. It was all evidence of a little girl's anger, one which she now regretted, but didn't have the energy or need to fix it.  
  
Gathering her basket, Re-Nee headed back towards her house. She had headed to the North beach to gather food, but ended up just sitting in the sand. While watching the waves lick against the shore, Re-Nee thought about her life. It was hard to believe it had been six years since her life had changed, six years since her younger brother and she were forced to leave their dying parents' sides. Until his final dying breath, her father regretted letting his brother convince him that they were saving the world by inventing an anti-aging drug.  
  
Re-Nee's thoughts were broken by the pitter-patter of running feet. Looking up, she saw her nine year-old brother running towards her, followed by their cousin. "Re-Nee!" he whispered harshly. She opened her arms to gather him into a hug. It's still hard for her to think of him as anything other than the whinny three year-old she was stuck with at the age of thirteen.  
  
"What's up?" she asked, looking up at their brunette cousin. Her hair was still long and she wore feathers in it. She had picked it up from the tribes that still occupied the mainland. Re-Nee shook herself out of her thoughts and focused on her cousin. She seemed a little worried and impatient to tell her something. /If it was that important, why didn't she tell the guys?/ Like they'd done since they were kids, Danni answered Re- Nee's unasked question.  
  
"He sent me to get you. A boat has been spotted approaching the island." Panic rushed through Re-Nee. Lunging out of her crouch, Re-Nee grabbed Johnny's hand and began to run. "Which side?" she yelled at Danni who was right beside her.  
  
"They're heading to the South beach," Danni replied. /Another boat?/ Re- Nee couldn't help but think. Seeing boats was an unusual thing. Her brother and she had only seen three boats, each bring refugees to the island. They finally reached the cliff above the beach where the newcomers had landed. Crouching next to a brunette boy, Re-Nee took the binoculars. "Do you recognize them?"  
  
"It's too hard from this distance..." he trailed off. "I just don't feel too good about this group...I have this feeling..." he said as he swept some of his hair from his brown eyes. Like Danni, he came from the mainland. Crouching on the ledge, they watched a little while longer as the group gathered around a piece of paper. The brunette and she could tell that they were arguing about something.  
  
"Ok then Bray, I think it's time for us to meet the newcomers. Go get the others. Tell Cloe that she stays with Johnny and Michael, no matter what. I'll meet you down there." Bray nodded his head and took Johnny. "Let's go and meet our guest," Re-Nee said, turning to Danni. 


	2. Welcome

Chapter 2  
  
"This island is not on the map!" Lex yelled at everyone in the huddle. Everyone turned to look at him. Jay was about to voice his opinion when a voice spoke from behind them.  
  
"He's right, you know?" Re-Nee said, stepping from the shadows. Everyone jumped as they realized they weren't alone. "You won't find it anywhere. Now tell me, what you are doing here?" Again, Jay was going to speak, but a mocha colored girl stepped in front of him.  
  
"Danni?" she sneered. "You're actually alive?"  
  
"Amazing, isn't it Ebony?" /So this is the girl I've heard so much about, / Re-Nee thought. /Well, this is going to be interesting. / It got even more interesting when Bray showed up with Ved and Tina.  
  
"Bray?"  
  
"Amber?"  
  
"Ved?"  
  
"Jay?" /These are my friends' lost loved ones. / Ignoring the reunions, Re- Nee focused her attentions on those still in the boat. They all looked so exhausted and hungry. "Enough," Re-Nee said. "We need to get some food for the children and then get them cleaned up. Follow me back to the house." Turning, she left the others to follow her.  
  
"We can't trust her," Danni said as she reached Re-Nee's side.  
  
"And whom are you talking about?" Re-Nee said, looking back at the group. Bray had tears flowing down his face as he was able to hold his son for the first time. It broke her heart to see it, but Re-Nee knew their relationship wouldn't last forever, especially when Bray still loved Amber and their child.  
  
Danni followed Re-Nee's gazed. "You knew it would end. I told you it was best not to lose your heart to him..."  
  
"Enough," said Tina, coming up on Re-Nee's other side. Looking at Re-Nee, she answered the previously asked question. "I think she means Ebony."  
  
"Danni, I know you had some problems with her in the past, but people change. We'll see as time passes," Re-Nee said as she picked up the pace. 


	3. Heartbreak

Disclaimer: I unfortunately don't own the show! snaps fingers DANG IT! I do own this plot and the original characters. Please talk to me before taking any part of this story.  
  
A/N: I'm glad y'all are loving this! I really worked hard on it and yes, I have been working on my description. I have been posting this quickly, but I will start to slow down soon. I only have seven chapters written and so many more to go. Well...ENJOY!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
It took awhile, but Re-Nee got everyone fed and found them a place to sleep. Johnny and Michael were the hardest to handle, but luckily Tina stepped in.  
  
"March right up those stairs and go to bed," she said to the boys.  
  
"But Tiiiinnaa..." Johnny whined. Michael tried his best to copy him. He was like any three year-old who had found his role model and decided to attached to their hip. Tina, Michael and Danni had come on the first boat to touch the island since Re-Nee and Johnny had been left on it. It had been a great surprise to Re-Nee to see Danni, her childhood friend, but as time passed, Re-Nee had come to count on Tina more and more. Like Tina, she had come to be a 'mother' at a very young stage. Michael was an orphan that Tina took up under her wings.  
  
"Re-Nee?" Tina's voice broke through to her. "Are you okay?" Tina grabbed the tea she had been drinking and sat down next to Re-Nee.  
  
"I'm fine. What would be wrong?" Re-Nee asked unconvincingly.  
  
"You just seemed to be staring out into space. Is it thoughts of Bray that are bothering you, or is it just the newcomers in general?" Tina was real worried. Re-Nee had always been strong. She was a leader and didn't seem to be scared of anything. On top of that, how many thirteen year olds could start providing for a three year-old without any contact with another human being for three years? Even in today's world where kids were having children at the age of fourteen, who could...no, who /would/ do it? Few would and Re-Nee was one of them.  
  
Even Tina wasn't ready to take on the responsibility. She fought it until she realized she couldn't win. Tina had been part of the Chosen, second in command to only Lieutenant Luke. She had believed the message of Zoot until the Guardian had lost it. She completely lost her faith the night he came to her with Michael.  
  
/ "For you my loyal follower," the Guardian said as he handed her a bundle of cloth.  
  
"What is it?" Tina asked, reaching out to take it.  
  
"A gift from Zoot passed down through me." The Guardian had a diabolically grin on his face. "It is a child you will raise to follow Zoot's message."  
  
"A child? But...but I couldn't. What has happened to the mother or the father of this child? Shouldn't they take care of it? I know nothing of raising a child." Tina said panicking. What was she to do?  
  
"The father is Zoot and the mother is a follower who is not true enough yet. She still cares deeply for her 'husband', the man who tried to take my life. She is not ready to raise a child." The Guardians face began to harden. "Are you saying you will not accept Zoot's gift? He has chosen you and you WILL do it." The Guardian gave Tina one last look and turn away.  
  
Pulling back the blanket, Tina looked down at the blond, baby boy. How was she to care for it? What was she to do? She was only fifteen. /  
  
"Earth to Tina!" Re-Nee said, breaking Tina's thoughts. "I'm not the only one who seems to be daydreaming."  
  
"I'm sorry. The boat just brought back memories," Tina said, dragging her hand through her midnight black hair with metallic blue streaks. Afterwards, she slightly shook her head.  
  
"I know what you mean. What were you thinking about?" Re-Nee asked as she got up to get herself something to drink. Tina waited until she sat back down.  
  
"I was wondering how you were able to care for Johnny all by yourself at the age of thirteen and I could barely handle Michael at the age of fifteen, not to mention now. Then I started to think about the first night I held him..." Tina said, trailing off.  
  
Re-Nee felt her first smile since the newcomers arrived. "I was lucky that Johnny was three. Michael was a newborn, a premie in fact."  
  
Tina laughed and smiled. "I guess you're right. I'll never forget those first few nights. I almost threw him out the window and would have jumped for joy as he hit the pavement."  
  
"You don't mean that..." Re-Nee said laughing. "Anyways, I answered your earlier question. I was just thinking about all the happiness that flowed through the house today. Did you see Ved? He actually had tears in his eyes."  
  
"And Cloe," Tina said, "she was so excited to see everyone. Trudy was excited to see that Cloe is pregnant." Tina's smile was growing with each word. "Do you think the happiness will last?"  
  
That sobered the mood. "Who knows? Who ever really knows?" A gentle cough made the girls turn towards the door that connected the dinning room to the living room. There stood Bray.  
  
"Umm...hi," he said a little shyly. Tina took the message and got up. "I think I'll go make sure everyone is comfortable," she said, leaving the room.  
  
"Come sit down Bray," Re-Nee said, pointing to the chair. The tension was so thick that it hung in the air, but they knew they had to get this moment done with.  
  
"Re-Nee..." Bray started. His face was filled with uncertainty and sadness.  
  
"There's nothing to say," she cut him off. "I understand."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Don't you get it?!" she yelled, getting up to pace the room. "I'm giving you an easy out! Take it!"  
  
"You don't understand," he said, getting up to grab her shoulders.  
  
"I don't understand what? That's your son and the woman you love up there. Did you actually believe that you wouldn't go back to them if they suddenly showed up? I might have been dumb to give you my heart, but I am not a stupid as you must think I am. I knew you wouldn't stay with me if they returned!"  
  
"She's seeing that tall blond...There's no future for Amber and me..." he said sadly, trying to convince himself and Re-Nee.  
  
"Are you that dense?" she asked angrily. She had always thought Bray was a smart person, but he sure wasn't acting it. "That's bullshit. I bet you that guy is having the same talk with Amber as I'm having with you." The two stared at each other as time passed slowly.  
  
"I'm sorry," Bray finally said. "I'll...umm...sleep on the couch." He rubbed his eyes as if to clear his mind.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I probably won't sleep tonight. Go get comfortable," she said half-heartedly. Bray sent her a little half-smile and turned to leave. "Bray?" she asked. He stopped at the doorway and turned around. "I love you."  
  
Bray nodded his head and headed up to the room. Re-Nee sank to the floor and started to sob. Years of tears flowed down her face as she let herself cry for the first time in six years.  
  
Meanwhile, Amber sat in a rocking chair on the balcony outside the room she had been given. It was hard to believe she had seen Bray today, that he was only a few rooms away from her. She looked down at her son that was lying in her arms. Every day he grew up to look more and more like his father, and every day she felt a little piece of her heart break off.  
  
Today, she felt her whole heart crumble when she found out Bray was seeing the leader of this tribe. /Re-Nee/ Amber thought, forcing herself to remember that Bray was taken, that she was happy with Jay. Wiping a tear from her eye, Amber continued to rock Bray, who had fallen asleep hours ago in his father's arms.  
  
A little knock on the door had Amber twisting slightly in the chair. "Come in," she whispered loud enough for the person to hear but quiet enough as to not wake Bray Jr. Amber gave a half smile as Jay entered the room. Getting up, she placed Bray Jr. in a crib that had been given to her. "Hello," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. She gave him a quick peck. "How was your visit with Ved?"  
  
"It was..." Jay said with his own half smile, "it was great. I've never seen him so happy and he's actually ready to take on the role of a father."  
  
"That's good," Amber said as she turned down the covers. Getting in, she waited for Jay to join her. When he didn't she became worried. "What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"I asked for a different room to sleep in," Jay said. His Techno days were coming back to him. He kept a straight face and stood ram-rod straight.  
  
"Why would you..." Amber chocked on the words. Swallowing, she tried again. "Why would you do that?"  
  
"I thought it would be for the best. Bray Jr. needs his true father and he's right down the hall..."  
  
"But..." Amber said cutting him off. "Bray and I are over. He...all he cared about today was our son." Tears flowed non-stop down Amber's cheeks. "He's...he's someone new. He has someone he cares about more. Don't leave me Jay!"  
  
"You know that's not true, Amber. You've loved him ever since you met him, even when /we/ talked of marriage, I knew I'd always have to compete with his ghost. Here's your chance...take it."  
  
"But...but..." Amber said. She was at a lost for words. Jay walked over to the side of the bed.  
  
"I'll always love you and Bray Jr. If you ever need something, I'll be there." Jay leaned down and gave her a quick peck. "We'll talk more later. Bray Jr. will be waking up soon and you need to get some sleep." Amber watched as Jay left the room. /What am I going to do? / she asked herself, curling up into a fetal position. She cried until she fell asleep.  
  
Jay slowly closed the door. Looking down the hallway, he made sure no one was coming. When he was sure that the coast was clear, he slid down the door and sat on the ground. So many things had happened today, so many emotions had passed through him. He couldn't help but wonder if he should have listen to Trudy. Jay didn't want to come to the island. He thought they should go further, but they were running low on supplies, so he followed Trudy's suggestion and came to the island. Don't get him wrong. Jay was happy to see Ved and to know he was okay, but he'd been on the island for less than twelve hours and already he felt his life was in pieces. Taking a calming breath, Jay got up and headed to his room. 


	4. The Next Morning

Chapter 4  
  
The next morning came too soon for Danni, but she bolted out of bed as the aroma of coffee filtered into her room. When she finally got downstairs, she realized she was the last to enter the dining room. An unofficial meeting of the Surfer Tribe was now in session.  
  
Grabbing a cup of coffee, Danni sat down next to Guy, a former prisoner of the Technos. He wore his hair in Zoot style dreadlocks. Guy had never been a follower, but he couldn't fault the guy's style. "Where's Re-Nee?" she asked groggily, noticing that he was rolling something between his fingers.  
  
"I think she headed towards East beach," Guy whispered. "She said she was leaving to gather food, but I think she left under other terms." Opening up his hand, he showed Danni what he had been playing with. It was a seashell bracelet, Re-Nee's bracelet in fact. The shells alternated between two colors: brown, white, brown, white, etc.  
  
The only other bracelet that matched this one was Bray's. Danni quickly looked in his direction. Like Guy, Bray was rolling his own bracelet. His other hand seemed to be pulling at the chain under his shirt, playing with the phantom ring that hung there.  
  
The bracelets were the tribe's marking. Each member had a bracelet. If they were single then they're bracelet was all white. If they were taken, the two in love chose a color and painted every other shell that color.  
  
"Great," Danni muttered. "No one went with her?"  
  
"She was gone before anyone awoke." Guy looked up at the concern look on Danni's face. "Don't worry love, she'll be okay." He quickly kissed her forehead as everyone sat down. Once seated, Tina began to serve breakfast.  
  
"Can we talk without worrying that the others will come in?" Danni asked. Her annoyance was fighting against her strength to stay calm.  
  
"I believe we can," said Tina. "They were pretty tuckered out. A good meal and a nice sleep was all they needed."  
  
"Good. I want them gone!" Danni said point-blankly. Ved, Cloe, and Bray sent her a distressed look. "I'm sorry, but I just don't trust them."  
  
"Stop it Danni," Cloe said. "You only mean Ebony and you know it. The others have nothing to do with this grudge you have against Ebony. I don't want them gone. It gives me a chance to apologize."  
  
"I agree with Cloe," Ved said. He was cut off by Danni.  
  
"You only say that because she did. Doesn't anyone else see the problem here?" Danni was getter angrier with each word she spoke. Breakfast grew cold as tensions mounted.  
  
"Danni..." warned Guy.  
  
"What's the problem Danni?" Bray asked with as much anger as her. The others sat and waited impatiently for her response. Guy was the only one who didn't seem upset with Danni. She just shook her head and stared down at her plate. "Don't you see what's already happening to this tribe? We're breaking apar..."  
  
"Don't say it Danni," Bray warned. "I want them to stay. I've finally have gotten the chance to see my two year-old son, and I want to be part of his life..." He in turn was cut off by the door slamming open. There stood a blue- haired man with a bag of fish.  
  
"Did you see the boat?" he asked. He seemed a little excited, but concern etched his face.  
  
"Luke!" Tina exclaimed as she jumped up to take the bag from his hands. When she tried to move away, he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close.  
  
"Did you get enough?" Guy asked a little worried.  
  
"Because we'll need it," Danni muttered to herself under her breath. "A pack of strays have moved in..."  
  
"Stop it! If you got something to say, say it," Tina demanded. "Re-Nee said they were welcomed, so they are. I don't understand your behavior. We've survived this long because of Re-Nee's decisions and now you're going to question her?" Tina would have continued on her tantrum had Luke not put a stop to it by kissing her. After he was done, he turned to the others.  
  
"Now will someone /please/ fill me in?" he asked with a smile. He hated to be away from the tribe because he always seemed to miss the exciting things. But the tribe needed food, so that meant he left the group every other week for three days to go fishing. When he had seen the boat yesterday, he cut his trip short by a day and headed back.  
  
"Maybe I can," a feminine voice said from the doorway.

* * *

Throughout the house, Mall Rats were awakening to the sunlight filtering through unfamiliar windows. Some tried to turn back over while others stiffly climbed out of bed.  
  
Bray Jr. cried and flung his doll at Amber. She knew she could no longer pretend to be asleep so she sat up. Her eyes were puffy from her night-long cry and tears formed as she thought back to it. Picking him out of the crib, she changed his diaper and carried him to the balcony. After placing him down on the floor, she sat in the rocking chair and watched the waves break in the distance.  
  
Down the hall, Jay sat behind a closed door. He had awakened before dawn and witnessed one of the most beautiful sunrises he had seen since he left the Eco-tribe with Ebony and Amber. Forgetting where he was, he almost ran out of the house when he saw a figure heading towards the beach. After taking a couple of steps, his mind woke up and he realized he wasn't at the mall anymore and it wasn't his duty to worry where people went and what they were up to.  
  
On the floor above them, Mouse and Brady were waking up, ready to explore. After conspiring for a while, they put their plan into motion. Mouse crept to Salene's bed as Brady approached her mother. Silently, the climbed onto the bed and on the count of three, they began to jump and yell. "Wake up! Wake up!" Both older woman jumped and almost knocked the younger girls off the bed. After recovering from their shock, they grabbed the girl that had awakened them and started an all-out tickle-fest.  
  
"Wake up! Wake up!" filtered through the wall, waking Lex from his deep slumber. He threw the covers off and stormed over to the wall separating the two rooms. Raising his arm, he was about to knock before he heard the laughter that always set his insides on fire. /Damn it! / Lex cursed himself for the millionth time since he discovered his true feelings. /I'm not suppose to feel this way towards HER. / Keeping up his reputation, Lex finally knocked on the wall. "Some of us are trying to sleep!" he yelled. The outrageous laughter stopped, but soft giggles could still be heard.  
  
On the first floor, Slade pulled Ebony closer to him. He wasn't ready to get up, but the smell of fresh coffee was making it hard to stay asleep. His stomach grumbled and it caused a small giggle to escape Ebony's mouth. He smiled against her ear. Ebony couldn't be any happier. This even beat her happiness of getting rid of that lying, manipulative Ruby. Before reaching this island, the Mall Rats had stopped at another one. That island was supposed to be their final stop, but some of them wanted to continue moving. In the end, Ruby, Sammy, Gel and May stayed on that island. The others took the boat and headed off. Now Ebony didn't need to worry about Ruby trying to break Slade and her apart.  
  
On the fourth and final floor, Jack and Ellie were the last to smell the coffee aroma that flowed through the house. Like Slade, Jack tried to pull Ellie closer, but she wiggled free. "I'm going to explore," she whispered into his ear. He grumbled and pulled her pillow to his chest. Ellie chuckled and headed downstairs.  
  
Following her nose and remembering yesterday, she headed towards the dining room. She stopped short when she heard angry voices. /What's going on? / she wondered. Making no noise, she slowly approached the door and listened.  
  
"Don't say it Danni." Ellie recognized Bray's voice and knew he was angry. "I want them to stay. I've finally have gotten the chance to see my two year-old son, and I want to be part of his life..." Ellie jumped when the door slammed open.  
  
"Did you see the boat?" the blonde felt as if all the air had cleared out of the room. /It can't be! / she told herself. /He can't be here! / Sure enough, there stood the man that left her without a single goodbye, the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with.  
  
Her breath was knocked away again as she saw him kiss that girl. /What's her name? / Ellie asked, raking her mind for the answer. /Tina, that's it.../ It felt like forever before he stopped kissing her. Finally he spoke again. "Now will someone /please/ fill me in?"  
  
Ellie's mind race and she couldn't control her tongue. She had to let him know she was there. She had to make him acknowledge her. "Maybe I can," she said, stepping out from her hiding spot.  
  
A/N: Ok...here's another chapter...you talked me into giving it to you.... 


	5. The New Virus

Chapter 5  
  
Every thought in Luke's mind came to a screeching halt as he heard a voice he hadn't heard in three years. Tensing up, his arm slid from Tina's waist. "Ellie?" he asked, looking up into her face. "What...how...that was your boat?" Luke stuttered.  
  
Before Ellie could speak, Re-Nee entered through the same door Luke had left opened. Looking behind Ellie, Re-Nee saw the other Mall Rats had awaken and had come downstairs. "Oh, good morning. Come, have a seat and let's get you some breakfast." Re-Nee placed her basket of shells on the table in front of Bray, who visibly swallowed.  
  
Last night had really happened. His relationship with Re-Nee really was over and Amber was standing a few feet from him. Bray had come to the point of realizing it was unlikely he would ever see Amber again. After a while, he developed feelings for Re-Nee and the rest was history. Now that Amber had shown up, all his old feelings were coming to surface. Could they work things out, or had they changed too much?  
  
After setting Brady down, Trudy followed Re-Nee. Not knowing she was followed, Re-Nee almost bumped into her as she turned. "Oh..." she said as Trudy helped to steady her.  
  
"How can I help?" she asked, already taking the two plates from Re-Nee.  
  
"No..." Re-Nee protested. "Don't worry about it; I've got it. Now, sit down and relax."  
  
"But I want to help. Let me," Trudy pressed. The determined, yet thoughtful face stopped Re-Nee from arguing any further. Laughing, she gave the plates up to Trudy and turned to get some more.  
  
Since most of the Surfers had lost their appetite, they stood and let the starving Mall Rats have their seats. Luke stared in disbelief while Tina grew more and more self-conscious. She knew who Ellie was and her connection to Luke. She even understood the shock Luke must be feeling, but why was he just standing there? Never one to be dependent on a man, Tina started to feel naked without his arm wrapped around her. Hoping to get rid of the feeling, she left to put up the bag of fish.  
  
Re-Nee waited for the Mall Rats to begin eating before she took over Ellie's role of explaining. "It was the Mall Rats' boat you saw yesterday. Why or how long they are here, we still do not know."  
  
"That's easy to answer," said Ebony as she took her last bite. "A new virus has taken over the mainland." She stopped to look around the room. She seemed to glow with the entire Surfer tribe's attention on her.  
  
"What?!" the Surfers yelled. "A new virus? How? When?" Panic rushed through them as they thought about the implications. Could the Mall Rats themselves be infected, and if they were, could the Surfers get it too?  
  
Under all the confusion, Danni stood sulking in the corner. "Too bad you didn't stay, Ebony..." she muttered. Ebony rose and began to approach her. Danni responded by doing the same thing. Both were stopped when Jay and Re- Nee stepped between them.  
  
"Step aside, Jay. This doesn't concern you," Ebony said in a cool voice.  
  
"Now is not the time, Ebony. You forget that we are guests in their territory."  
  
While Jay and Ebony were talking, Re-Nee and Danni had their own talk. "I will not have you disrespecting them," Re-Nee said. "You started this and now you will apologize. There are more important things to discuss than this stupid grudge."  
  
"I will not apologize to that power-hungry cow!" Danni said with as much defiance as she could muster. Re-Nee sent her a death glare and Danni backed down. At the same time, Jay and Re-Nee backed away, almost knocking each other down. "Sorry," they said, instinctively grabbing a hold of each other.  
  
Ebony and Danni glared at each other. Finally, they both blurted out, "I'm sorry..." and then continued to mutter under their breath. Re-Nee knew that this was going to be the best she could get, so she turned back to the other Mall Rats. "How did this virus come about?"  
  
"A quick and simple summary is that the Technos, you do know who that is, right?" Jack asked. Ved rolled his eyes and all the Surfers pointed to him. "Oh yeah..." Jack said as he gave a nervous laugh. "Anyways, the Technos were defeated by a fellow Techno that wanted to take over Ram's place."  
  
Ved looked over to Jay. "Mega," he filled in. Ved nodded his head, and Jack began to talk again. "Anyways, he started an experiment and when Ram tried to help defeat Mega, he accidentally set it off. It contained a virus that would kill everyone, so we had to make a break for it. We boarded a boat and headed out," Jack finished in one breath.  
  
The Surfers sat in silence while they digested the information. Amber turned to Bray and asked, "How did you end up here?" Noticing it seemed to only be directed at him, she turned to encompass everyone. "All of you, I mean."  
  
"That's a story that I don't think we could sum up in a few short sentences," Tina, who had returned, said, smiling about how nervous Jack seemed. She was about to tell the story, at least her part, when a shout was heard.  
  
"REEE-NEEEE!!! TIIINAAA!!!" Both girls instantly tensed. There was only one reason why Johnny was allowed to scream like that, and it was meant to signify danger. Tina quickly looked around and noticed Michael wasn't downstairs. "Oh shit..." she muttered. Luke also looked around and realized why she said that. Tina began to run up the stairs, but Luke pushed himself past her. They finally reached the top floor and instantly saw the problem.  
  
Johnny sat by the banister, tears flowing down his face. "I tried to stop him," he cried. Luke bit the bottom of his lip in order to keep himself from laughing. In the end, he couldn't and his deep laughter filled the hallways. Tina was shocked to hear his laughter and became more upset. /Why was he laughing? / she panicked.  
  
Pushing him aside, she saw the problem. Michael had taken it upon himself to stick his head through the stair railings, and now he was stuck. Tina released the breath she didn't even know she had been holding. Calm rushed over her, until she remembered how much panic Luke had caused her by laughing. Turning, she playfully slapped him on the arm.  
  
"Oww..." he said, grabbing a hold of the 'injured' arm.  
  
"That didn't hurt," she said laughingly. "Now, go get something to get our son out." He smiled at her and did as he was told. Re-Nee rushed by him to comfort Johnny, while Salene went to help Tina.  
  
"Let me help," Salene asked as she crouched down. Tina turned and smiled, a little surprised by the understanding look Salene gave her. "Mouse once got her head stuck in the mall's railing and Sammy let out a scream that rivaled Johnny's. I thought the Technos were attacking, it was so bad. I understand this situation all too well."  
  
Upon returning, it took a while for Luke to make his way through the crowd. By the time he reached the top, Michael had been freed. Tina scooped him up and placed his head on her shoulder. Calming down, Michael wiped the tears from his eyes. Salene was taken a back by the color of his eyes. /They're so familiar.../ she thought, but blew it off.  
  
Seeing that everything was okay, Luke thought about what had happened in the last few minutes. When Johnny had screamed, Luke had come out of his comatose. Following Tina's thought process, he instantly thought that Michael was dying some horrible death. Horror swept through him, and he felt like he was dying himself. Forgetting everyone else existed, he raced up the stairs only to find Michael was safe, but scared. Still forgetting everyone else existed, he followed Tina's orders. Walking back down, he started to focus on the rest of the world. The shocked and confused look on Ellie was like swimming in a lake in the middle of February. /Great! / he thought. /Something else I'll need to explain.../  
  
Upon returning, Luke felt his blood pressure rise to a killing point when he saw the perplexed look Salene got as she watched Michael. Guilt seeped through every pore in his body. /How would I ever explain to her what happened? Seeing her brings back all the reasons why I left the mall. Have I changed enough to survive the hatred that she will have, that all of them will have? /  
  
Re-Nee's voice broke his inner musing. "Johnny, why don't you take Mouse and Brady out and show them around?" she asked, trying to break the crowd up. Johnny nodded his head and took Michael's hand.  
  
"Come on...I'll show you a really neat cave..." Johnny said, barely holding onto his excitement. Trudy was a little worried, but relaxed when Tina wasn't worried about Michael tagging along. In all the confusion, everyone forgot that Tina was going to tell them how the Surfer's ended up on the island. The Mall Rats, still exhausted from their trip, left the Surfers' to think about all that had happened.  
  
A/N: Hey y'all...I'm glad you are liking this. I finished chapter seven and I'm really happy how it turned out...Now off to write chapter 8...I might not post another chapter until 8 is done....Oh yeah, you're not suppose to know who Lex likes...that will be revealed with time... 


	6. Storytelling

Chapter 6  
  
Before anyone could process it, it was lunch time and everyone was starving. Tina came in from outside to see that Salene and Trudy had taken over the kitchen. She stood in shock as she watched the two efficiently cook a meal big enough to feed the two tribes. "What's going on here?" Tina asked, fighting with which emotion she should be showing. She was upset that they even thought they could take over her domain, but grateful for getting the chance to not worry about cooking.  
  
The two guiltily turned around. "We thought we would show our gratitude by cooking..." Salene said.  
  
"Plus, the kids came in hungry and no one else was around," Trudy finished Salene's thought. At that moment, Lex sauntered in asking, "Where's the food?"  
  
"There's kid number one," Trudy whispered to Tina. The three girls shared a secretive laugh that left Lex confused. "What?" he asked, making the girls laugh even harder. With the help of Tina, Trudy and Salene quickly got lunch finished, with enough time to set the table before anyone else entered the dining room.  
  
Lunch was really a quiet affair with small talk placed in to fill the silence. No one seemed to want to ruin their appetites by breaching the subject of the virus or what the ex-Mall Rats did after they were last seen. Once lunch was over, Re-Nee, with the help of Mouse and Johnny, began to clean up the table. Tina took Michael to go lay him down for a nap, while Danni and Guy left to get some privacy.  
  
Trudy and Salene got up and stretched. "Why don't we go for a walk, Brady?" Trudy asked. Brady's face lit up and she began to bounce up and down. "Yes Momma," she said excitedly.  
  
"I think I'll go with you," Salene said. "I'd like to see what this island looks like."  
  
"Yay!" Brady screamed. "Let's go to the beach," Brady grabbed a hold of Salene and Trudy's hand, and pulled them behind her. The two older girls laughed and began to walk towards the door. Lex stood up and also stretched. Walking up behind the girls, he wrapped his arms around their shoulders. "I'll go with you," he said.  
  
Trudy shrugged his arm off and turned to give him an evil glare. "Why would /you/ want to go with us...No wait, why would /we/ want you to go with us?"  
  
"You need a man to protect you from the wild animals out there," Lex said, puffing out his chest. Trudy was tempted to punch him and watch as his ego deflated. Salene stopped her from doing just that.  
  
"Sure Lex, come along. That is, if you can keep up with us..." Salene threw over her shoulder as she walked out the door with Brady. Trudy sent him another glare in hopes that Lex would get the point. Of course, Lex didn't pay any attention and followed them out.  
  
At that moment, Cloe came running down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Slow down," Re-Nee said. "All that jostling is not good for the baby."  
  
"I know...I know, but I really need to talk to Salene. Where is she?" Cloe said breathlessly. Re-Nee wanted to make her sit down, but knew she wouldn't win against her stubborn side.  
  
"She went with Trudy, Lex and Brady to the beach. You might be able to catch her," Re-Nee shouted as she watched Cloe run out of the door. "Be Careful!"  
  
Ever since Salene had shown up, Cloe had been debating on when she should talk to her. After lunch, Cloe had headed upstairs to think some more. She finally reached the conclusion that she had to do it now, or it wouldn't mean as much. Cloe reached the four of them in matter of seconds. "SALENE!" she yelled. Salene stopped and ushered the other on. "But..." Trudy began to protest, but knew that this talk had been coming for a while. /Great! Now I'm stuck with the self-centered baboon. / Trudy thought.  
  
"It's so good to see that you're doing well," Salene said, wrapping her arms around Cloe's shoulders. "Now, why are you running all the way out here? You should be more careful. You're eight months along..."  
  
"I know Salene...I know," Cloe said, feeling her anger rise. Quickly she turned away to hide her rising emotions. /Damn hormones. / Taking a few calming breaths and counting to ten, she turned back around. "Salene...I...I wanted t-to talk about what h-happened with the T-Technos." Cloe said, chocking on her words.  
  
"Let's go sit down somewhere." Salene looked around for the perfect spot. She finally decided on a shaded area underneath a tree. Salene pointed and Cloe nodded her head in agreement. They made their way over there, waiting until they were seated to say anything.  
  
"You know you don't have to tell me anything. I understand," Salene said, making Cloe feel as comfortable as possible. Salene wasn't sure she wanted to know. It still killed her to think about how The Game affected Pride and how he lost his life in the end. Will Cloe's story be as sad?  
  
"I have to Salene. I've lived with this guilt for close to two years. I'm sorry for not listening to you; I'm sorry for letting the technology go to my head," Cloe cried. Salene pulled her in a hug and let her sob.  
  
"It's okay Cloe, I understand. You were young; you're still young. We've all done things we've regretted." Salene waited until Cloe had calmed down again. "Can you tell me what happened?"  
  
Cloe placed one hand on her stomach and the other combed through her hair. Her hair was now worn down in soft curls. Bright green feathers and bangs adorned her black hair. "I got addicted. I couldn't get enough; I wanted more. I logged in one day and the rest is blank. The next part is just fragment, almost like dream sequences. I'm in a holding cell. Then, I'm outside and the sun is too bright for my eyes. I'm on a boat and I see Ved looking down at me. All I feel is disconnected and confused. When things began to get clear, I'm on a beach, gasping for my breath. I look up and see a little boy looking down at me. It was Johnny..."  
  
While Cloe had been searching for Salene, Ved had been searching for his brother. He finally found him in his room. Ved knocked on the door, which was cracked opened. "Hey Jay," he said, walking inside the room.  
  
Jay jumped up and greeted his brother. Ved could tell something was bothering him, but knew he wouldn't get any answers if he pressed Jay too far. Instead, he tried a round-about way. "A gorgeous scene, huh?" Down below, Ved could see the beach and the tree where Cloe and Salene were sitting. Ved couldn't help but swell up with pride as he watched Cloe. He felt he had grown up since the last time Cloe thought she was pregnant. He was even ready to take on fatherhood, even though it scared him shitless.  
  
"It's very relaxing," Jay said. He wanted to know so many things. "Where did you go? What happened?" He didn't realize that he had spoken his thoughts until Ved answered his questions.  
  
"After my fight with Ram, I secretly still searched for Cloe. It was my fault that she was addicted to The Game; I was solely responsible. Guilt was eating at me and then one night, I realized I was in love her.  
  
"Ram found out what I was doing and sent me away. I think he planned to use me for an experiment, but things started to go downhill for him. I was able to escape, and while I was leaving the building, I saw Cloe. Freeing her, I carried her out. We were situated near water, so I stole a boat and set sail. Along the way, a storm hit and the boat was destroyed. I fought day and night to keep the two of us alive. I must have finally passed out, because the next thing I remember is being dry and sleeping in a bed.  
  
"Upon awakening, I jumped out of bed as I heard Cloe scream. When I found her, a tall blonde girl was leaning over the bed and holding her down. I was going to lunge forward, but a black haired girl stopped me."  
  
"Re-Nee and Tina..." Jay whispered to himself. Ved nodded and continued his story. Salene and Cloe had come to the same spot in the story.  
  
"The first few months were terrible. My body ached for the game, but there was no way to get a fix. Ved stayed by my side every moment of the day. Re- Nee and Tina had to bring him food in order to get him to eat. Ever so slowly, I started to think of other things beside The Game. I started to help around the house. I took care of the boys, I cooked, and I gathered firewood."  
  
"As Cloe got better," Ved said, "I started to feel better. As soon as I realized she was no longer hungry for The Game, I told her I loved her. Luke held a wedding ceremony for us and we were welcomed into their tribe," Ved said as he played with his black and white seashell bracelet.  
  
"Are you happy here?" Jay and Salene asked their individual storyteller.  
  
"More than you'll ever know..."

* * *

Ellie was dying to get out of the house. Why was she so upset? Her and Jack had a healthy and lasting relationship. Luke and she were over, so why did it feel like her heart was breaking into pieces as she watched Tina and him exchange special little smiles?  
  
"Please Jack?!" Ellie begged. "I've got to get out of this house. It's /too/ much!"  
  
"Does this have to do with Luke?" Jack asked. Why was it that Luke was always coming in between them whenever their relationship looked like it was going for the long haul? Was he a test, an obstacle? Last time it didn't go well for Jack, but this time Jack had a little luck on his side. Luke and Tina had a son after all...a three year-old son...Jack got lost in the statistics and numbers of child-bearing and didn't see Ellie leave the room.  
  
/Fine then. If he doesn't want to join me, then I'll go by myself./ Ellie regretted her rash actions when she ran into Luke. "Ellie," he said. "I need to talk to you."  
  
"I'm busy right now," she said, trying to pass him up. He only moved into her way. "Get out of my way," she said, her face contorting in anger. "You left me and I'm going to leave you."  
  
"Ellie, it wasn't like that! I had to get out of there. I knew too many things; I had done too many things."  
  
"You couldn't even say good-bye? I fought my hardest to make you stay. Why didn't you tell me what was bothering you? I would have listened; I would have understood!"  
  
"Ellie..." Luke said exasperated. "That's the problem, you wouldn't have understood. The hatred you feel now is nothing compared to the hatred you would have felt."  
  
"You don't know that Luke," Ellie argued. "Tell me and I'll prove it to you."  
  
"I can't...I promised I wouldn't say anything..."  
  
"You lying, cheating, low-down dirt bag!" Jack yelled as he stormed into the hallway where Luke and Ellie were talking. "You lied to her! How could you?" Jack asked as he pulled his arm back. Ellie watched in horror as Jack punched Luke right in the nose.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" Ellie screamed.  
  
"He lied to you. Back at the mall, he lied to you." Jack's chest heaved as he tried to regain his breath.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Luke asked, confused and in pain as his nose began to bleed.  
  
"You were cheating on her," Jack said, pointing at Ellie. "Michael is three, meaning that Tina conceive while you were trying to steal Ellie from me! You acted as if you were single."  
  
Luke watched as Jack's words sank into Ellie's mind. Her emotions went from confusion to disbelief to anger and then finally burning hatred. "You have no idea what you're talking about," Luke said cautiously.  
  
"Is this why you left the city?" Ellie asked.  
  
"You don't understand," Luke said, feeling his anger rise. /If only they would listen.../ he thought.  
  
/But even if they listened, what would you do? / the other side of his brain. /You can't tell them the information they need to know. /  
  
"Well?" Ellie asked. "What possible excuse could you have to explain your actions with that skanky cow?"  
  
Luke felt the precious control he had on his anger slip. "Do you really want to know? DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW?!" he screamed. "Fine then. Michael isn't even my son, or even Tina's to top it off. He belongs to someone you know..."  
  
"Luke?" Re-Nee's voice broke through the silence that followed Luke's announcement. "Can you come here?"  
  
Luke looked back at Jack and Ellie and then took the chance to leave. Jack and Ellie were left to mull over things. "What did he mean?" Ellie asked. "Whose son is it then?"  
  
"I don't know, but I think it's something we need to look into." Ellie nodded and the two took off towards their room to start working out exactly what happened three years ago.

* * *

Bray and Amber sat in her room, watching their son wander around the room. "He looks so much like you," Amber said, looking back and forth between the two Brays.  
  
"He has your eyes though," Bray said. His earlier thoughts were still nagging him. He wished he could travel and go back to that day that Bray Jr. was born. He would have fought harder; he would have made sure he'd have been there for Amber.  
  
"Bray?" Amber asked, pulling Bray back to reality. "What happened? Where did you go?"  
  
Bray looked and saw the tears that were welling in her eyes. She had always been such a strong person. Last night she had told him everything that had happened to her. Now it was only fair that he tell her.  
  
"When I heard the plane, I had to take a look. I didn't understand what was going on. Who was flying the plane? Could some isolated adult actually be alive and they had come to save us? I stood staring up at the sky, and the next thing I knew was that I was being grabbed from the sides.  
  
"They threw me into a truck and blindfolded us. It seemed like we traveled for days and we were given little food. Finally, they stopped the truck and I was rough-handled out of it. I was then forced in this machine, almost like an old virtual reality game set. I really don't remember much after that. Just days blended together." Bray stopped and wiped a tear that was falling down her cheeks.  
  
"One day, I awoke in a field. All around me were people. They also seemed to be coming out of a daze. There was one guy next to me. For a second, I almost thought it was Martin, but he only had his hair done in his dreadlocks. Guy and I joined together and we tried to find the city. Instead, we found a beach. Hoping that maybe it would be faster in finding the city, we got on the boat and set sail. We found this island instead of the city. It's been two years since I first arrived."  
  
"I thought you were dead!" Amber said, feeling her anger rising. She began to hit him on the chest. "It...the computer said you had been deleted. I hated you because you left me in that barn. All I wanted was to raise our child together..."  
  
"Shhhh," he whispered, rubbing her back until she calmed down. Even Bray Jr. tottered over to help calm his mother.  
  
"How did you and Re-Nee hook up?" Amber said after she calmed down. Bray sent her a look that said he wasn't sure that she wanted to know. "I have to know."  
  
"Guy and I landed on the island on a bright and sunny day. Re-Nee and the rest of the tribe were out enjoying the weather. We were hungry and tired, and like she did with you, Re-Nee brought us up to the house and fed us. All I thought about was you. Every day and night, nothing else passed through my mind.  
  
"One day, Re-Nee and I were talking. She was yelling at me because I let Johnny get too close to the jetty. Something inside me clicked. I would always love you, but there was a slim chance that I would see you again. Slowly the pain eased and I began to have feelings for Re-Nee. We were seeing each other until last night. A year to be specific."  
  
"Do you love her?" Amber asked. She had to know. She had thought about what Jay had said and came to the same conclusion. Bray was the only man for her. Was she the woman for him?  
  
"I won't lie. I had strong feelings for her and if you hadn't shown up, I think we would have married and raised a family. Now that you've shown up though, I can't do it." Taking her hand, he made Amber look him in the eye. "I love you Amber. You're the only girl for me. I want us to be together. I know we need to get to know each other again, but I'm willing to take the time."  
  
Amber smiled a tearful smile. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear," she said, pulling his face down to share their first kiss in more than two years.

* * *

After leaving Jack and Ellie, Luke quickly made his way to Re-Nee's side. "What is it?" he asked when he reached the patio.  
  
"Look," she pointed. In the distance, dark clouds were gathering and were starting to make their way to the house. "There's a storm coming in. It should be here by tomorrow night."  
  
A/N: Well...there's a semi-long chapter for you. Y'all like? 


	7. Talks of Leaving

Chapter 7  
  
The next day dawn bright and early. Wanting to enjoy the outdoors before the storm hit, Re-Nee set breakfast on a patio table outside. Everything was fine until Ebony opened her mouth.  
  
"We're hoping to get on our way soon," she said, startling everyone.  
  
"Ebony..." Amber said warningly. "This is not something we discussed." Amber was trying hard not to explode. What was the hurry? They had just gotten here; they had just found loved ones. They were resting and had to restock. Why leave so soon?  
  
"Slade and I were talking last night. We're city people; we're all city people. There's got to be more people out there," Ebony said, pointing in the general direction of 'out there.'  
  
"We thought that tomorrow would be a good time to leave. We don't want to put stress on you and your supplies," Slade said, turning to Re-Nee.  
  
"You'll have to wait," Re-Nee said matter-of-factly, dragging out the news of the storm. Luke was going to say something, but she cut him off with a look. Ebony was outraged and began to sputter.  
  
"Who are you to tell us when we can leave? You don't own..."  
  
"I really don't care what you do," Re-Nee said, cutting her off. "All I know is that a storm is coming in. A big storm at that. It will be here by tonight and be at it's height by tomorrow. You leave now and there's a slim chance you'll survive." Getting up, Re-Nee left the shocked Mall Rats and the concerned Surfers.  
  
"What was that about?" Lex grumbled. All the Mall Rats nodded their head in agreement. The Surfers were silent and exchanged troubled looks. Johnny was the first to speak. Turning to Bray, he released his anger.  
  
"It's all your fault," he cried, punching Bray on the arm and running after his sister. Michael copied Johnny and ran into the house. Bray sank lower in his chair.  
  
"Don't listen to him Bray." Tina said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Re-Nee just has a lot on her mind right now." Tina and the other Surfers forgot that the Mall Rats were there.  
  
"I know, but it's hard to..."  
  
"Is it true about the storm?" asked Mouse, who had scooted closer to Salene. Salene wrapped her arms around Mouse's shoulders and told her everything would be okay.  
  
"Yes it is," said Luke. "We need to bring in some extra supplies. I think this one is going to last a while." Luke got up and carried his plate to the sink.  
  
"I'll help," said Amber and Trudy. Luke nodded his head. Bray stood up and volunteered to help also. The four of them left the house, while everyone else sat in silence for a while. The Surfers finally got up and left the remaining Mall Rats at the table.  
  
"That was uncalled for," Jay said, turning to Ebony.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.  
  
"You didn't have to spring that on us all the sudden. The last I checked, we were a tribe. We discuss things and vote, not one person decides everything for the whole tribe."  
  
"What do you care?" Ebony sneered. "It's not like you'd go with us. Besides, who says we are a tribe? We were the Mall Rats, but that's the past."  
  
"That's not true!" exclaimed Salene. "We are still a tribe and we discuss things as a tribe. None of us are ready to leave this soon. We need to refresh. The children are tired; I'm tired. When we're ready, we'll talk as a /tribe/ and then decide if we want to go."  
  
"We're no longer in the city," Ebony sneered at Salene. Slade placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned and the two of them shared a wordless conversation. "Fine then," Ebony said, slamming back her chair. Slade stood up to follow her out.  
  
"We assumed you wanted to leave too..." he said as he walked out of the room.

* * *

The wind was really blowing in now and the sky was almost pitched black, but Re-Nee still wouldn't leave the patio. There was something about a raging storm that calmed her. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't have to try and control it. Maybe it was the simple fact that the wind blowing through her hair reminded her of all the happy times she had spent with her family. Reaching into the basket, she pulled out another white seashell.  
  
What was she going to do? Would her tribe be minus three people, or could she actually lose more than that? Bray was going to go where ever Amber and their son would. Ved would follow his brother and Cloe would follow Ved. Maybe Tina and Luke craved the city life again. Would they go, taking Michael with them? /Why don't I go with them? I never wanted to come to this island. Why not go with them?/ she asked herself over and over again.  
  
"What are you doing?" Re-Nee jumped out of her seat and the basket of shells scattered on the ground. Both she and Jay bent forward at the same time resulting in a collision of foreheads. "Oww!" they both said, grabbing their foreheads and falling back on their butts.  
  
"Sorry," he said laughing. Re-Nee felt a smile touch her lips. Watching to make sure he didn't bend forward, she began to pick up some of the shells. Jay picked up the other half. "Where did you go yesterday?" Jay asked as he placed the last shell into the basket.  
  
"What do you mean?" Re-Nee asked. She was beyond confused. She stayed at the house all day yesterday. Plus, they were on a small, family-owned island. Where was she going to go?  
  
"Yesterday...before sun rise...I saw you heading towards the beach..." Jay stopped as his explanation when realization hit Re-Nee. She shook her head and waved her hand as if the conversation they were about to have was no big deal.  
  
"I find that to be the most peaceful time of day. In the beginning, it was the only time I could get away from my brother's constant whining. With all the excitement the other day I needed some time alone, so I went. I killed two birds with one stone though. While I was out there, I picked up these," Re-Nee said, holding up a bag of shells. Jay picked up one of the shells and rolled it between his fingers.  
  
"Why do you need these? What are you making?" Jay couldn't help but wonder if these were for the bracelets the Surfers' wore. If they were, then why did they need more?  
  
"I'm making a new bracelet. I know it's strange, considering we're the only people here, the bracelets are our..."  
  
"Tribal marking," Jay said, finishing her sentence. "Whose bracelet are you making?"  
  
"One for me." Re-Nee would have laughed at the shocked expression on Jay's face had she not had a sinking feeling about where the conversation was heading.  
  
"What happened to the bracelet you were wearing yesterday, the brown and white one?" Jay asked.  
  
"The colors represent your 'couple' status." Re-Nee said in hopes of stalling. "Each couple chooses a color to show that they are together. If they are married, they choose a symbol to represent how they met. Cloe and Ved choose a red T. If you look closely, you see it."  
  
"What does the white mean?" he asked, pointing to the finished bracelet in Re-Nee's hand.  
  
"If completely white, it means you're single. If it has some sort of yellow symbol, it means you have yet to come of age."  
  
"So..." he said a little awkwardly, "you and Bray..."  
  
"Yes," she said curtly, cutting him off. Jay was really intrigued by the bracelets, but knew he needed to move away from the talk of Bray. "Why did you choose to color the bracelets?"  
  
"It's a very funny story, actually," Re-Nee said with a far-off smile. "Tina, Luke, Danni and Michael had been on the island for about a year. Danni and I use to tease Tina and Luke of their blossoming relationship. Finally, they declared themselves as a couple. About a week after that, Bray and Guy showed up. Guy use to be somewhat of a playboy and decided that he wanted to flirt with Tina. Luke got a /little/ upset and Guy back down.  
  
"We sort of decided that we would do the color thing. People wonder why only two bracelets match and ask questions. It stops unnecessary tensions..." Re-Nee trailed off. Knowing Jay wanted to ask another question. /I'll bide my time until I can ask my question,/ she thought.  
  
"Why a bracelet and not a painted symbol?"  
  
Re-Nee held up her new bracelet. "It's a circle. Circles have not point, no corners, so it never stops. I like to think that it symbolizes our friendship."  
  
There was something about this whole thing that bothered Jay, but he just couldn't identify it. "Like you said, you were the only people on this island. Why brand yourself? In the city we did it to show which tribe we belong to..."  
  
"Are you not a Mallrat?" Re-Nee asked, cutting him off.  
  
"Yes, but..." Jay said getting confused.  
  
"Yet you still wear the Techno T. If I were from the city, then wouldn't I believe you were a Techno, not a Mallrat?"  
  
Jay hated the feeling of being backed into a corner. "I...Well..." Jay ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think of his answer. "No," he finally said. Re-Nee gave him one look and Jay knew he couldn't deny it. "Fine then, I guess you would. What's your point then? What are you trying to get at?"  
  
"I'm trying to figure out how close you are to the Mallrats," she said point-blankly. Jay was taken aback. Was she trying to be cold?  
  
"They are my friends..." Re-Nee couldn't help but notice he didn't say /family/. To her, the Surfers were her family, but to Jay, the Mallrats were nothing but friends. Could she convince him to...  
  
"Do you plan to leave with the others?" Re-Nee asked, following her instinct.  
  
"I see no reason to stay. Although Ebony sprang us with her revelation, I have to agree. We are city people. I don't think we could survive out here."  
  
"What about Ved?" Re-Nee's anger was growing and she didn't know why. Well, deep down she knew, but she was in denial. She wasn't ready to leave the island and she didn't want the others to leave. She didn't want to be alone with just her brother for company.  
  
"I assume he would come with. I am surprised he has survived at all. He thrives on technology and the city. To be living here must have been a strain for him," Jay finished as he turned his back to Re-Nee. Continuing to lean against the rail, Jay watched as rain began to fall. Reaching out his hand, he caught a few drops.  
  
"Do you care so little for Cloe?" Re-Nee's question caught him off guard.  
  
"How dare you ask me such a thing!" he yelled, turning back towards her. "What ever made you think that?"  
  
"Cloe is eight months pregnant! She is in no condition to travel and here you are trying to take her husband away. She is going to follow him! Could you live with the guilt if that baby died?"  
  
All that could happen sank into Jay's brain. "I...I didn't think about that...I didn't think that far into the future." Sinking to the floor, Jay thought about everything. He got so lost in his mind and scenarios; he didn't realize the storm was getting worst.  
  
Re-Nee did though. She was about to say something when Tina came out. "Luke...he hasn't returned yet. None of them have." 


	8. The Storm

Chapter 8  
  
Thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Rain fell so hard that a person couldn't see a hand placed a few inches from their face. Re-Nee stood in the rain with a flashlight in hand. "LUKE! BRAY! AMBER! TRUDY!" she yelled, but the wind just carried her calls away. The light from her flashlight bounced as she ran back to the house.  
  
Once inside, she heard the cries of the younger ones. Salene and Tina tried to comfort them, but nothing was working. "I want Daddy," Michael cried, while Brady cried, "Mommy!"  
  
Danni brought a towel over to Re-Nee, but she shrugged it off. "Anything?" Guy asked. Re-Nee shook her head and the kids started a fresh batch of tears. Tina abruptly stood and began to pace. "Where could they be?!" she cried.  
  
"Is there any place they could use for shelter?" Ellie asked. "I mean, that's the first thing Trudy and Amber would do-find shelter."  
  
"There's nothing. There is a little patch of trees south of here, but nothing to protect them from this." Re-Nee scratched her head as she tried to gather her thoughts. "I'm going to go out again and see if I can see them."  
  
"You can't!" cried Danni. "You're soaked through the skin. We don't need you to come down with something, especially with them missing."  
  
"Danni, I have to, but if you want to help, grab a flashlight and go out the front door." Danni stood still, debating on how she could get out of doing it. She didn't want to get wet, just like anyone else in the room. Some couldn't afford to the chance of getting sick and some just didn't want to do it. Growing tired of waiting, Re-Nee turned her light back on and went back out the back door.  
  
Re-Nee stood under the spray for a few minutes. The last time it had stormed this way, it had rain for a week. Everything had flooded and the boat.../Damn, we forgot to bring the boat in!/ Re-Nee thought, cursing herself. If things followed the last storm she was talking about, the boat would be destroyed.  
  
Re-Nee began to swing the light around, hoping that maybe Luke or Bray would notice it. She turned when she thought she heard a sound, but it was just the wind playing tricks on her. A few more minutes passed and Re-Nee began to shiver. /What had Luke been thinking?/ Re-Nee thought. /He knew a storm was coming in. Why didn't he hurry? The four of them should have been home way before it even started to rain./  
  
Re-Nee turned to face the house. /Maybe Danni is right; maybe it is worthless to be standing out here. Maybe Ellie is right too. I'm sure Luke and Bray could find a good place to last until a semblance of light can lead them back to the house./ Re-Nee was about to take a step when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.  
  
"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not good to play in the rain?" Luke's teasing voice filled her ear. Looking over his shoulder, Re-Nee saw the other three missing people right behind him, each carrying baskets of supplies. "Well..." she asked, "what are you waiting for? GET INSIDE!" All of them turned and made a mad dash to the house. Once inside, they shook themselves like dogs after a bath.  
  
"WHERE THE HEWERE YOU?" Re-Nee yelled. Her shout brought the others into the kitchen. Brady ran to her mom while Amber scooped Bray Jr. up. Luke looked a little sheepish while he tried to get his words together.  
  
"The storm came quicker than I had expected," he said as he wrapped himself in a blanket Tina had brought him. Sitting down in a chair, he bent down to remove his soaked shoes. Once done, he pulled Michael into his lap. Bray, Amber, and Trudy also sat wrapped in blankets as they removed their shoes.  
  
"I told them we should find shelter," Trudy said, hoping that she could help the situation some. Re-Nee sent her a quick look that told her to shut- up. "You knew full well when the storm would hit!" Re-Nee yelled. "You've lived on this island long enough to know! When the wind picks up and thunder starts to pound, that's a good indication that it's time to come back." Sarcasm rolled off her tongue. The Mallrats looked on, unsure of what they should do.  
  
"At least they're back safe and sound," said Ellie. "That's all we should care about." Re-Nee looked at her with hatred in her eyes. Slamming down the flashlight, she ran from the room.  
  
"That girl is seriously messed up," Ebony said. "It must come from staying on an island for to long with little human contact." Danni dropped the supplies she had taken from Amber. "Would you like to say that again?" she asked, getting into Ebony's face.  
  
"She. Is. Messed. Up." Danni pulled her arm back, but was stopped by Guy grabbing a hold of her wrist. Ebony teased Danni, and Danni tired to pull free. Guy kept a strong grip on her wrist.  
  
"Now is not the time," he whispered into her ear.  
  
"But..." Danni began. Guy gave her one look and she dropped it. "You better watch yourself," she said to Ebony as she left the room. Others took this as their cue to leave also. Tina and Salene sent everyone up to their room, while they stayed behind to put the supplies up.

* * *

Seconds melted into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into days. The rain continued its brutal assault on the island. Tensions were mounting and it wasn't unusual to stop the hourly fights between Danni and Ebony. At one point, everyone seriously consider letting them duel it out, but Slade and Guy stepped in. Re-Nee spent most of her time in her room, watching the rain bang against her window.  
  
"Re-Nee?" Johnny asked, four days into the non-stop rain. Re-Nee looked away from the window and to her door. Johnny held a scared air to him, so she called him over. "What's wrong?" he asked as he climbed into her lap.  
  
"Nothing baby," she said, looking back out the window. She felt him staring at her, so she looked back down at him. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"Is it going to stop soon?" It took a moment for Re-Nee to figure out exactly what Johnny was talking about. "Of course," she said, rubbing his back. "And when the sun starts to shine, everyone will be happy again. It'll go back to normal."  
  
"Will the Mallrats leave?" Johnny seemed angry, but Re-Nee wasn't sure why.  
  
"Do you want them to?" she asked, turning him so it was easier to look into his eyes. Johnny nodded his head quickly. "Why?"  
  
"Before they came, we were happy. Now everybody fights. You don't talk to anyone, Danni is always yelling, Luke is skittish, and Michael spends all his time with Mouse and Brady."  
  
"So that's why you're with me and not him. He's still you're friend, you know? Have you tried playing with them too?" Re-Nee felt a smile touch her lips, but she tried not to let it show. It would only upset Johnny more.  
  
"I tried, but Mouse is too bossy. She wants it all her way." Johnny's pout grew with each word he said.  
  
"Some times it's easier to let someone have it their way first. As soon as their through, they play what you want to. Do you remember when we first came to the island?" Re-Nee waited until Johnny looked up at her. "You would always want to play hide-and-seek, while I always wanted you to play something by yourself. Finally, I gave in and we would play hide-and-seek. Do you know what happened next?"  
  
"I would go play with my trucks?" Johnny said, understanding Re-Nee's point. She nodded her head. "Now, will you go play nicely?" she asked.  
  
"Yes!" he said, jumping up from her lap. She laughed as he ran out of the room. During his mad dash, he almost ran into Salene. Re-Nee sobered some when she realized Salene wanted to talk to her.  
  
"You've done well with him," Salene said.  
  
"Thank you," Re-Nee whispered. "You can come on in." Salene was a little nervous, but finally entered. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Salene joined Re-Nee in the solace of looking out the window.  
  
"I didn't know it could rain so much," Salene said. When Re-Nee didn't say anything, Salene made a move to get up. "I'm sorry to disturb you," she whispered as she began to walk out the door.  
  
"You don't have to leave," Re-Nee said, looking from the window. "I...I just don't know what to say. There are so many thoughts going through my head..."  
  
"If you need to talk, I'll listen. Sometimes it's better to tell strangers what's wrong."  
  
"Thank you, but not right now..." The two sat back down and watched the rain.

* * *

"Jack!" Ellie yelled down the stairs. Jack placed his fingers in his ears and pretended he couldn't hear her. The guys laughed at his antics. Lex finally patted Jack's shoulder, causing him to bring his head up.  
  
"You're being summoned," Jay said trying to act like Ellie had an important message for Jack. "Go quickly, before you anger Her Majesty."  
  
"Shuddup!" Jack mumbled. This cause Jay and Lex to laugh even harder. Seeing it would be easier to go to Ellie, Jack got up and left the guys to laugh. It wasn't as if Jack was growing tired of Ellie, it was just that he was tired. The two of them had been trying to figure out exactly what Luke had meant. That meant they had spent the last four days remembering everything that had happened three years ago.  
  
It wasn't an easy track, especially when it was a time you wanted to forget. After all this time, they still hadn't figured anything out. Finally, reaching their bedroom door, Jack looked inside. Ellie had paper strewn all over the floor. Each was a product of their hard work and memories. "Well?" he asked.  
  
"We need to get Tina to talk," Ellie said matter-of-factly. Jack stood dumbfounded. /That's all she wanted?/ he thought. /Why am I still in this relationship?/ the evil side thought.  
  
"Ellie," Jack said a little tiredly, "I know. We decided that the first day, but we don't know how."  
  
"Maybe we can get Salene or Trudy..." Ellie suggested. "Salene would be really good. She's such a motherly figure. She'll want to know all about that..." Ellie continued to ramble as she thought about it. Jack was about the pull his hair out when Ellie finally shouted, "That settles it! Salene will talk to Tina!"  
  
A/N: Well... here's chapter 8. Chapter nine is almost done... well, half-way through it's first draft. Expect it soon... a week and a half at the most... 


	9. After the Storm

Disclaimer: Same as before.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Finally, the rain began to calm, even though it still rained all day long. Looking at the calendar she had made, Re-Nee realized that seven full days had passed since that first night. Grabbing the book she had started reading last night, she headed to the kitchen. She almost turned around when she saw Luke in there.  
  
Unsure what was going to happen, she walked into the room. "Good morning," she whispered. Luke looked up startled. "Re-Nee..." he began.  
  
"No, let me talk first," Re-Nee said, cutting him off. Grabbing an apple from the fruit basket, she sat down at the table. "I want to apologize for my behavior that night. I wasn't upset with you, but the situation."  
  
"What situation? Did something happen while we were gone?" Luke asked a little worriedly. No one had told him about anything going wrong. What was Re-Nee talking about?  
  
"I was talking about the rain. I had been arguing with myself ever since the Mallrats arrived. One minute I want to leave this island, then the next I realize I can't. Finally, I came to the conclusion that when the Mallrats left, I was going with them. I'm tired of being on this island. I didn't realize it until they arrived. Now that this storm happened, the boat is surely destroyed. I'm not a mechanic or a carpenter. Could we rebuild the boat or what?"  
  
Luke took a hold of her hand and squeezed. "You're worrying too much. Trust me; it's not something to worry about. We'll find a way off the island. Plus, we don't know if the boat is destroyed or not. Think positively. I'm glad that's the only reason you bit my head off. Do you think I could have it back now?" Luke said, trying to make a joke of it.  
  
Re-Nee acted like she was coughing it up. Reaching out her hands, she said, "Here you go." Luke pretended to wipe off the imaginary head and screw it back in place. It was hard for Re-Nee to believe he had ever been a serious guy. He always seemed to be joking and having a good time. In the beginning, he was a little quiet, but she just figured it was because he was in a new place.  
  
"Thanks. Now, the rain is calming down. Would you like to go with me to see the damage?" Luke asked, getting up and placing his breakfast plate in the sink. Re-Nee thought about her plans for the day. She had really wanted to finish the book she was reading and wait for the rain to completely stop, but she knew Luke wouldn't listen to her and wait.  
  
"Sure...this way I can make sure you don't do anything stupid." Luke acted insulted and threw the hand towel at her. "Why do you think I invited you to come?" Luke asked, turning her joke into an insult against her. Re-Nee just threw the towel back and then headed to her room to change into some more appropriate clothing.

* * *

Salene wasn't sure why she agreed to do Ellie this favor. She knew she was up to something, but what? Why was it so important for Ellie to know about Michael's past? What did she have to gain?  
  
Salene could only blame her weak self for agreeing. /Curiosity killed the cat.../ she thought. Ever since she has really looked at his eyes, Salene had wondered about him. There was something so familiar about him, yet she couldn't place her finger on it. Plus, some of his mannerisms...there was just something there!  
  
After looking throughout the house, Salene finally looked in the kitchen. There stood Tina, cooking the day's lunch. "Do you need any help?" Salene called from the doorway. Tina turned and nodded. "I won't say no. I'm still trying to get use to cooking for twenty-two people."  
  
Salene laughed and agreed. "It makes you wonder why people wanted to be chefs. Didn't they ever get tired of cooking for such large crowds?"  
  
"And on top of that, all the different meals." They both laughed and cooked in silence for a while. Suddenly, Salene said, "So, Luke is a natural blond?"  
  
"What?" Tina asked a little surprised. /Where did that come from?/ she thought.  
  
"Well...Michael is blond and I can tell your color is natural, so that leaves the blond gene to Luke."  
  
"Ohhh..." Tina said. Could she tell Salene the truth about Michael? How he wasn't hers and she didn't know who his true parents were? Tina turned and looked Salene in the eyes. There was true friendship there that made Tina realize she could trust her. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked.  
  
"Of course. What's wrong?" Salene was a little worried. If Tina was going to tell her about Michael but wanted it to be a secret, then it was something serious. Salene's curiosity grew ten times more.  
  
"Well...Michael isn't mine or Luke's biological son. I was given Michael when I was in the Chosen. Luke stepped in as a father figure when we reached this island." Tina looked around the room as she finished, as if she was making sure no one else was in there.  
  
"Who are his parents then?" Salene asked. She felt as if she had hit a gold mine and all of it belonged to her.  
  
"That's the problem. I don't know. The Guardian just gave him to me, saying something about how the mother wasn't a true believer yet and the father had tried to kill him, the Guardian." Salene's hand froze in mid-cut. She visibly swallowed.  
  
"How old is Michael again?" she asked. Her hands had begun to shake, so she placed the knife down and held them behind her back. Tina noticed and began to worry herself. /What is wrong with her?/ she thought.  
  
"He's three...he was born a premie." Tina also began to shake. She didn't understand what was going on. /Maybe I shouldn't have said anything,/ she thought. "Is everything ok?" she asked Salene. Salene nodded and began to back away.  
  
/I have to get out of here,/ Salene thought. "I just remembered I said I would help Trudy with something." Salene started to walk out, but once she reached the door way, she stopped. /I have to make this excuse convincing,/ she thought. Turning back to Tina, she said, "I'll talk to you later." Tina nodded her head.  
  
Once Salene was gone, Tina felt like she shattered in a thousand pieces. Dropping the knife, she watched as it clattered in the sink. She couldn't help but think if she made the right decision. Salene seemed like someone she could talk to, but Tina never imagined that would be the response she would get. Now she realized why she never told anyone about Michael's past.  
  
She was interrupted by the entrance of the kids. "Is lunch almost ready?" they seemed to sing in chorus. Picking the knife back up, she turned to them. "You know it is. Now, go clean up and then you can help set the table." The kids jumped up and down and did as they were told. It gave Tina a few more seconds to compose herself before facing the large crowd.

* * *

Lunch was a quick and quiet affair. Most of the people were wondering what the end of the storm meant. Ebony and Danni continued to send little glares at each other, while Tina and Salene exchanged troubled glances. Re-Nee stared out the window, occasionally turning around to make sure the kids were behaving. Growing tired of the silence, she stood up and started to clean the table.  
  
The others began to leave, but were stopped by Re-Nee's announcement. "Luke and I have decided to examine the damage done by the storm." Tina was instantly worried. "Do you think that is wise?" she asked. "The water could be too deep to travel safely. Why not wait a couple of days?"  
  
"Plus, it's still raining," Salene jumped in. "It's a miracle none of you got sick the last time."  
  
"Let them do what they want to. Why do you care?" Lex muttered to himself. Trudy turned to him. "Don't you ever shut up?" she asked. They angrily stared at each other and Luke ignored the growing fight.  
  
"There is nothing to worry about," he said as he grabbed Tina's hand. "This is the perfect time to go. We will see exactly how bad everything is and if we have to worry about another storm or flooding. I was thinking though," Luke paused to get everyone's attention, it would be better and /quicker/ if we had another team of two."  
  
"I'll go," Ved and Jay volunteered at the same time. The Mallrats were surprised by Jay's willingness to help. They weren't surprised by the fact that he wanted to help, because Jay was that type of person. Normally though, he did it out of guilt or pain. He joined the Technos because he wanted the hospital. HE wanted the hospital because he couldn't save his first love. He didn't run away with Ebony because he felt guilty about what the Technos were doing to the city. The Mallrats' only problem was that they couldn't figure out why Jay would feel the need to help the Surfers.  
  
"That settles it then," Re-Nee said. "Luke and I will check the north and east, while Ved and Jay will do the south and west." Ved and Jay nodded their head and turned to leave. Luke stopped to say a few words to Tina and then followed the brothers out. Re-Nee was the last two leave, grabbing a coat and putting it on.

* * *

Within a few hours, Jay and Ved were soaked. "Are you sure we can trust her?" Jay asked, mentally recording everything he saw. "I mean, we're soaked, low points of the island are under feet of water, the patch of trees have lost two friends and..."  
  
"Trust me Jay, Re-Nee is someone you can trust with your life. She thinks things through and will sacrifice her happiness before yours. I trust her more than I ever idealized Ram."  
  
Jay stopped with Ved's confession. While the Technos were strong, you almost never saw Ved with anybody but Ram. Now for him to say such a thing as this... well, it was unbelievable. /I guess there would be no better time than now to ask him, / Jay thought to himself. "Ved?" he asked, getting Ved to look at him. "What went through your mind when Ebony announced we were leaving?"  
  
Ved stopped walking and stared at his brother. /So this is what is bothering him, / Ved thought. "What do you mean?" he asked, playing it dumb.  
  
"How committed are you to this island? To this tribe?" The brothers seem to be in a staring contest. Jay was beginning to shiver in the light Techno suit he still wore, while Ved was a little warmer. Rain continued to make its soft way down, but that was in the back of their minds.  
  
"I don't know," Ved whispered. "The moment I saw you, I began to think about what it. Could I leave this island, my first true home since our parents died? But what about technology, something I crave? Seeing you brought back that craving." Ved paused to turn away from his brother.  
  
"When Ebony announced that you were going to leave soon, I automatically wanted to jump up and begin packing. Then I looked to Cloe and my brain froze. I can't risk taking her. Imagine that you hadn't listened to Re-Nee and we were on that boat." Ved shook his head and turned back to his brother. "I'm only seventeen years old! I shouldn't be worrying about a baby, but I have to. I love Cloe and if anything ever happened to her again, I'd kill myself."  
  
"What makes me want to go against what my mind and heart tells me to do is you. I've grown up, accepted responsibility, but what I need is my family. If you left me behind, I don't know how I could handle it."  
  
Jay grabbed his brother's shoulders. "Nothing will happen to her and I won't leave you. I'm here for you. Forget our past, I'll be here. We'll wait until after Cloe has the child and then figure out what we are going to do." Jay smiled and Ved found it hard not to smile. Finally, they realize it was still raining and they were cold.  
  
"I think we're about done. Let's head back and dry off," Ved said. Jay quickly agreed and the two ran back to the house.  
  
A/N: Hey there. Here's the latest installment. Let me hear what y'all think. 


	10. Assignments and Accusations

Disc: Same as before  
  
A/N: Hey everyone. Here's the latest. Chapter 11 should be uop bu later tonight or tomorrow morning... Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 10  
  
"So?" Ebony asked the moment the four of them stepped inside. Re-Nee walked past her and straight to her room. Luke and Ved past going to their respective room also. Jay was the only one to stop and say something. Even that was a short, "Later."  
  
"What do you mean?" she yelled after him, wanting to know when they could leave. She followed Jay all the way to his door and stopped when he slammed it shut. Marching down the stairs, she ran into Salene and Danni.  
  
"Let them dry off first," Salene said, "and then we can question them." Walking past Ebony, Salene went to gather the wet clothing while Danni took Jay some dry ones.  
  
A few minutes later found everyone but Jay in the dinning room. Ebony paced the room, waiting to hear the outcome of the boat. Re-Nee wouldn't say anything until everyone was there. Ebony hated that, but she had to say that Re-Nee knew how to lead a tribe. She had the tribe moving like clock work and everyone bending to her will, or so Ebony thought.  
  
/A little too goody-two-shoes, like Amber. Given some time though, and she'll be ruthless./ All of Ebony's thoughts were stopped by the gasps heard throughout the room. Jay had finally made it down. He was wearing a pair of black baggy jeans with blue flames itching their way up his legs. His chest was covered by a tight, navy blue muscle shirt with an open black sheer, button up shirt. His blonde hair was still spiked, but his face now held three blue semi-circles, exactly like the ones he wore while he was a Techno.  
  
/Man, he looks good,/ all the girls seemed to think. Ebony quickly covered her shock and said, "Finally, you're here. Now what is the status of the boat?" she asked, turning to Re-Nee.  
  
"The boat actually survived better than I thought, but," Re-Nee said, shaking her head, "it's not sail worthy. There is a lot of work that will need to go into it. First, as the water recedes, we'll need to move it back towards the beach. Right now, it's half way between the house and where we need it to be."  
  
There seemed to be mixed emotions throughout the Mallrats. Some were grateful they were going to be able to stay and relax some more, while others, mainly Ebony, were angry they couldn't leave.  
  
"While you are here," Luke said, "you are expected to help out. That means you are to have duties."  
  
"We know what it means, Luke," Ebony snarled. "Just tell us what we are being slaved into doing." Ebony gave him a knowing glance, a glance that told him that she would remember his past deeds until the day she died.  
  
"That will be enough," Re-Nee said. "We are a team. It has nothing to do with slave labor. Each person will have a task they are good at. Check back tomorrow and I will tell you. It's been a long day and I am sure we're all hungry." Turning to Tina, she asked, "Is dinner ready?"  
  
Tina nodded her head and the two of them went to gather it. "Re-Nee?" Tina asked, before they returned to the kitchen. Re-Nee turned and looked at her.  
  
"What is it?" Compassion filled Re-Nee's face, and Tina felt a little of her worries lift off her shoulder.  
  
"We just need to talk later." Re-Nee nodded her head and the two continued out into the dinning room to feed the two hungry tribes.

* * *

Dinner was over quickly and Trudy was finally able to enjoy a moment of peace and quiet. Looking over at the sleeping form of her daughter, she felt a smile caress her lips. She found it hard to believe all the luck she had had. She had a beautiful daughter, close friends that loved her, a roof over head and food to fill her belly.  
  
Turning to her left, she saw the sleeping Mouse. Man, how her name had become a contradiction. Mouse had become quite the chatterbox. It made things so much more difficult, like getting her to bed tonight. Normally Salene would do it, but she had disappeared right after dinner, complaining about how she needed some air. Trudy just nodded her head and let her go. She knew something was on Salene's mind and she knew Salene would come to her when she was ready.  
  
"Trud?" whispered Salene as she came into the room. She almost had this dazed look to her as if she had been...well as if she had been drinking. Trudy quickly got up and grabbed her shoulders. "What's wrong?" she asked, slightly shaking her. "Have you been drinking?"  
  
Salene shook her off. "No!" she cried a little loudly. Mouse and Brady tossed, but just turned over. "No I haven't. It's... it's just... I think I've found my baby!" she cried as she sank onto her head. Placing her elbows on her knees, she cried into her hands. Trudy instantly was in shock, but quickly recovered. Sitting on her left, she wrapped her arm around Salene's shoulders.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Trudy asked. She gently rubbed Salene's back as she waited for her to respond. After a couple of minutes, Trudy lifted Salene's face up. "What do you mean?" she asked, looking into Salene's face.  
  
"My baby! Ryan's child! It's here; it's here on this island," she cried. Trudy was trying to make sense of it all, but couldn't. Salene had started to cry a new batch of tears. Trudy knew she wouldn't get anything from her until she had calmed down again, so she continued to try and sooth her.  
  
Finally, the tears subsided and Salene looked at Trudy with her own will. "Do you remember...with the Chosen...Ryan and I...well, I got pregnant. I 'lost' the baby after falling down the stairs. I don't think I lost it any more. I think I gave birth early and he was taken away from me. That child is on this island."  
  
"How can that be?" Trudy asked a little puzzled. "There's only Mouse, Brady, Johnny and Michael..." she said as she trailed off. Salene had begun to nod her head when she had mentioned Michael. "You don't think... but that's Luke and Tina's child."  
  
"No it's not! She told me herself. She said the Guardian gave her Michael to look after. He went on to say that the father had tried to kill him and the mother was not a true believer yet. Plus, haven't you ever really looked at him? Look at his eyes, some of his mannerisms. They're Ryan's!"  
  
Trudy sat in disbelief. "I know you want a child of your own, but..."  
  
"Do the math, Trudy," Salene said, cutting her off. "Michael is around three years old. If it was truly Luke and Tina's that means that Luke was messing around behind Ellie. Does that seem like Luke? How many pregnant believers were there and how many fathers tried to kill the Guardian? Trudy, just believe me!" Salene said, her eyes growing misty again.  
  
"Ok. I believe you. Let's get some sleep and we'll talk to Luke tomorrow. Is that good?" Salene nodded her head and crawled into bed. Like a mother, Trudy helped to cover her and then returned to her own bed. Maybe she's right. Trudy thought as she pulled the cover over herself. Maybe she's right... 


	11. Life goes on

Disc: Same as before  
  
A/N: Told you you would get it soon. Here y'all go. Enjoy it! And TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Reds, oranges and yellows painted the sky in a masterful piece of art. Amber sat on her balcony watching the sun rise from its hiding spot. Why are things so complicated? She thought. Bray had sat with her everyday, enjoying the company of his son. They really hadn't spoken much since she had found out about how he had arrived on this island. What did you expect, Amber? she asked herself. Did you actually expect to be fought over? Did you expect thing to go straight back to the ways things were? Questions such as these raced through her mind.  
  
Getting up from the rocking chair, she walked over to her bed. On the night stand sat her ring, the ring that was never suppose to leave Bray's neck. Things happened and it did leave that neck. Picking it up, she put it in her pocket. Checking on Bray Jr. one more time, she walked downstairs.  
  
Reaching the living room, she found a light on. The house was so quiet she had figured she was the only person awake. Looking around, she found Re-Nee curled in a blanket and hunched over a piece of paper. Should I say something to her? Amber had yet to say anything to Re-Nee since her arrival. She felt uncomfortable every time she was around her, not to mention she didn't know what to say. Maybe that's why Bray doesn't talk to me or Jay.  
  
"Good morning," Re-Nee said, startling Amber. Amber took a couple of seconds to recover and then further entered the room.  
  
"I didn't mean to disturb you," she said, already wanting to walk back out of the room.  
  
"It's no big deal. Get comfortable. I don't bite, you know?" Re-Nee said looking up with a smile already stuck to her face. Re-Nee didn't know why, but she couldn't help but like Amber some. Shouldn't the ex-girlfriend always hate the girl that took her man away? she thought. Shrugging her shoulders, she saw Amber nodded her head and sitting down. "What are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"I was working on the chore schedule. Just trying to find where everyone fits best. Why are you up so early? You should be sleeping, like everyone else."  
  
"I couldn't sleep," Amber said distantly. "You know, getting settled in a new place..."  
  
"Pinning over Bray," Re-Nee finished. Again, Re-Nee was surprised about how easily she could talk about Bray. Well, I have to make friends with the Mallrats some way, and this is the best way to get to Amber. Jay, although we're not friends, we are on speaking terms... she thought, but stopped and focused back on Amber. Amber had quickly looked over to see if Re-Nee was being rude. Instead she saw an understanding and almost resigned face. "It's ok, you know. If you ever need to talk to some one, I am here. I probably haven't been too nice since you arrived. Blame it on uncertainty."  
  
"Thank you," Amber said. The two of them sat in silence for a while, until Amber asked, "Do you love him?"  
  
"Hmmm?" Re-Nee asked, coming out of her work daze. "Him who?"  
  
"Bray. Do you love him?"  
  
Re-Nee sat in silence as she thought about it. "The truth? Yes. Could we work out though? I think I always knew I would be competing with a ghost, so no." Amber let out a little laugh. "What?" Re-Nee said defensively.  
  
"Nothing. I wasn't laughing at you. It's just that you're the second person who has compared Bray or I to a ghost." Amber seemed to trail off into her own mind.  
  
"He's still in love with you," Re-Nee said, bringing Amber back to Earth. "He just doesn't think you are in love with him. Plus, he's scared he'll say the wrong thing. Jay has made him uncertain, almost not himself. Bray's usually suck a cocky person," Re-Nee said smiling at the fact that Amber was nodding her head in agreement. "Seeing you with Jay made him realize you could move on, and now he's unsure where he stands with you."  
  
"Then why isn't he with you still? If I'm causing so much trouble for him or... " Amber asked.  
  
"Why aren't you with Jay?" Re-Nee fired back, cutting her off in mid- thought. Amber sat quietly as she thought about it. "I've always believed we are meant to be with one person, 'the one'. I think I always knew that Bray wasn't my one, but sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find Prince Charming. Think about that," Re-Nee said as she gathered her things and left the room. She stopped at the doorway and looked back at Amber. In her hand once more was the ring. Watching her bring it to her lips, Re-Nee knew that Bray and she would work things out.  
  
/Another one down,/ Re-Nee thought, making another list.

* * *

A couple hours later, Re-Nee finally finished the assignment list. Well, to the best of her abilities. Gathering her papers once again, she moved them from the dining room table that would quickly be filling up. No sooner had she put them on the counter than the table filled up.  
  
She couldn't help but smile at the good moods around the table. "Finally, it stopped raining," everyone seemed to say. Trudy was the last to enter and she looked like she had gotten less sleep than both Re-Nee and Amber put together.  
  
After everyone had finished eating, Re-Nee stood up and gathered everyone's attention. "I have put together a list of what each person main job is. In this tribe though, if someone needs help, you help, even though it's not your 'job'. Understand?" Re-Nee waited for some sort of complaint, but when she didn't get one, she continued. "Good. Now, Jay, Ved, Jack, Slade and Bray, I want you to try and get the boat in working condition. Amber, Luke, Ebony and Trudy, I want you to gather the food. Luke, you are going to leave tomorrow right?" Re-Nee asked. Luke nodded his head. "Ok, if you want someone to go with you, tell me ahead of time.  
  
"Trudy, I also want you to help Tina and Salene with the cooking. There are too many people for only one person to cook. Plus, the three of you have been doing an excellent job so far. They rest of us are here to do the miscellaneous stuff. That includes cleaning the house, laundry and babysitting.  
  
"Is that okay with everyone?" Trudy felt a smile touch her lips. Lex, a babysitter? The thought alone would keep her busy for the rest of her life. Nodding her head like everyone else, Trudy agreed to the assignments Re-Nee had handed out.

* * *

After grabbing the picnic basket Trudy and Salene prepared, the five guys headed towards the boat. Slade naturally took the lead, while Ved and Jack were right behind. Jack was still a little unsure about being so close to the hot tempered blond, but the moment technology was mentioned, they were talking like the best of friends. Trailing behind was the silent duo. Each looked at the other, daring the other to say something first.  
  
About halfway to their target, the five of them stopped. Already they were walking through mid-thigh water. Placing the basket where no animal could get to it, they huddled together to formulate a plan.  
  
"Ved? Bray?" Slade asked, getting their attention. "How far do you think we'd get before we couldn't touch land anymore?" Both Bray and Ved took a couple of moments to think about it. Finally, Bray said, "We should reach the beach. If not, we'll get pretty close to it."  
  
"Is it worth moving the boat though?" asked Jack. The four guys looked at him with a perplexed look. "I mean, will there be something to tie the boat to, so it doesn't float out to sea?"  
  
"Yes," said Ved. "If we get close to the beach, there will be some trees strong enough to hold the boat."  
  
"The thing is that this is all speculation. We should really be asking ourselves if we should take the chance." Jay said.  
  
"What are you chicken?" Bray muttered under his breath. Only Jay seemed to pick up on it and choose to ignore it. "I know we can reach the boat," Bray said louder. "I think we should at least go to it and then decide what we should do." Everyone agreed, so the five of them set off again.

* * *

At the house, Salene and Tina were getting ready to make the next meal. An uneasy tension hung above them, but both were too scared to say anything. /I can't outright accuse her/, she thought to herself. /I need to know everything first./  
  
Tina was a bundle of nerves herself. Unsure what to do or say, she nearly dropped every dish or cup she touched. /I wish I had talked to Re-Nee last night,/ she thought. /Maybe I would understand everything that was going on. Not to mention that I might know what to say right now./  
  
Outside, Re-Nee and Danni were hanging the last of the laundry. Taking a break, Re-Nee looked up at the sky. "Not a cloud in the sky," she said to Danni. Looking up, Danni nodded her head.  
  
"I never understood why uncle liked it here," she said distantly.  
  
"He wanted a place of his own. A place he could escape to with just the family,"  
  
"Plus the servants he brought along," Danni said with a smile.  
  
"Not his fault that mom couldn't cook. Plus, I count my lucky stars we had Olivia. Had she not taught me how to cook, I don't think Johnny or I would have survived. Let's go," Re-Nee said, hanging the last shirt. "Tina wanted to talk to me."  
  
Going back indoors, they passed Ellie and Guy cleaning the house. "Cloe's upstairs asleep," Guy said in passing. Re-Nee nodded her head and went in search of Tina.  
  
Danni went in search of the kids. Having left Lex with them, she was debating on who would be living. Would the kids overcome the snake, or would Lex win? Going to the playroom, she saw what looked to be the aftermath of a hurricane. Toys, games and dolls were scattered all over the floor, shelves and furniture. In the middle were six sleeping bodies.  
  
Mouse was laying next to Bray Jr., while Michael and Johnny were sprawled out. The strangest thing was Lex and Brady. Laying on his side, Lex had an arm wrapped around Brady, almost like a father cradling his child. "Awww," Danni whispered.  
  
"What are you awwwing about?" Trudy asked as she walked to the playroom. She had come back to make sure Lex hadn't tried to kill the kids. She had to do a double take to make sure she was seeing what she was seeing. Lex actually looked like an angel laying there asleep.  
  
Abruptly turning, Trudy got away from the scene in front of her. She couldn't think of Lex like that. He was a snake, a baboon, a liar. He was... he was...he was sleeping in there with her daughter as if he actually cared for her.  
  
Shaking her head, she went in search of Luke. She was going to wait until tomorrow to talk to him about Salene, but now she needed to clear her head of Lex and his cuteness. She found Luke packing some supplies.  
  
"Let me help," she said, grabbing some cans that Luke was putting in a bag. Once the two of them finished, Luke turned around. "I'm glad you're coming with me. It can get really quiet out there without anyone to talk to."  
  
"I'd like to get out of here for a while, so it's no problem. Could we talk though?" Luke looked towards the kitchen and then back to Trudy. Deep down he knew what she wanted to talk about, but he felt like he should say something to Tina first. Realizing Trudy wasn't going to back down, he nodded his head and lead her outside.  
  
Trudy took a seat in one of the chairs on the porch, while Luke stood and paced. "This is about Michael, isn't it?" he asked. He stopped only to see Trudy nod. "I didn't know until after the Guardian had given him to Tina. She had come to me that first night telling me everything that he had said to her. There was nothing I could do or say. I had to go with what the Guardian did and said."  
  
"So it is Salene's? Michael truly belongs to her." Luke only nodded her head. "That's why you left," her voice was growing with each word. "You were too much a coward to do the right thing. He belongs with his true mother."  
  
"And hurt Tina and him in the process?" Luke asked. "I agree, I should have done something three years ago, but I can't do anything now. Michael believes one hundred percent that Tina is his mother. He knows no difference. Do you know how much it would hurt him to uproot him and give him to Salene?"  
  
"Do you know what Salene is going through right now? She knows that Michael is her son! She has wanted a child ever since Brady was born. Michael is about the only thing she has left of Ryan. Who are you to keep a son from his mother?"  
  
The two began a staring contest. Trudy daring him to do the right thing, while Luke begging her to forget it. Finally Luke said, "Let me talk to Tina first and then the two of them can come up with something." 


	12. Confusion and Labor

Chapter 12- Confusion and Labor

The boys reached the boat and all agreed to continue on. Finally, they came to the beach and tied the boat to a tree. After taking a moment to gather their breaths, they headed back to the basket. All were tired, wet and irritable. Jay and Bray were the worse. Ved was ready to help push them into a fight when Bray's shouted, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Turning, Jack, Ved and Slade saw that the two boys were already in a push fight. Now came the verbal. "You think you're all high and mighty," Bray said as he paid no attention to the audience. "First you take me away from my son. Then you move in on my girl and act like MY SON is yours! You're nothing but a low-down creep."

"I have done all I could to make up for what I did in the city. I even HELPED Amber look for YOU!" Jay said pointing a finger at him. "What would you like me to do? Get down on my knees and beg you to forgive me? I'll rot in Hell before I do that. I owe you nothing."

"You owe me nothing! You ruined my life! Had you and your crazy tribe not come, I would have watched my son grow up."

"I have apologized for that, for all the bad things that happened afterwards. Grow up, Bray, and stop blaming me. I'm not standing in your way. Amber is in that house waiting for you to open up your eyes. Your SON is waiting for you to open your eyes." Jay turned away and started to head to the house. Before he got too far, he turned back around. 

"By the way," he said, "you hurt her in any way and then you'll have me standing in your way." Finishing his threat, he walked back to the house.

After leaving Trudy, Luke went up to his and Tina's room. Searching through the closet, he finally found a cardboard box, his box. Inside was filled miscellaneous stuff- things from before the virus, while he was part of the Chosen and things he had gathered while on this island. He pulled out a pale blue blanket from the top of the box. From inside the folds, a dark blue box fell out.

Picking it up, Luke opened it. Nestled inside was a silver ring with two dolphins forming a circle. In the middle was a small sapphire. _Everything had been going so well,_ Luke thought. _In a couple of months, I would have asked Tina to be mine forever. Then we would have grown old together surrounded by the Surfers, our family. Michael has always thought I was his father, so that wouldn't be an obstacle._

_Now, I have to tell Tina that the mother of her 'son' is here on the island. Not only that, she wants him back. Tina will be heartbroken. She'll hate me for ruining her happy life. I can't do it. I know I promised Trudy, but I can't do it._

Placing the ring back in the blanket, Luke held it to his face. Breathing deep, he imagined he could still smell Michael on it. Luke remembered the night Tina had come to him as if it was yesterday.

_Knock. Knock._

The banging on the door just wouldn't stop. Luke had had a long day and all he wanted to do was sleep. Giving up, he wrapped a robe around his body and answered the door. There stood his second-in-command, Tina.

"I need your help," she whispered. She seemed to be panicking about something. In her arms was a bundle of cloth. Luke almost thought she was going to say she didn't know how to do laundry until a foot kicked out from under the blanket.

"Come in. Come in," Luke said as he took the baby from her. "Where did you get him? What's going on?" The baby was letting out the most terrible of screams. Luke soon found out when he felt something wet on his hand. Looking down, he realized the baby had wet his diaper.

"I can't do it," Tina said. "He's a lunatic. He came charging into my room, telling me I was to raise this child. He's not mine, Luke, NOT MINE!" Tina sank onto his bed when she had finished. Luke placed Michael on the bed next to her and began to change his diaper. Once he had finished, he picked up the baby and began to walk around the room with him.

"Who came to your room?" Luke asked, trying to get the facts straight. This baby was smaller than normal and deep down, he knew what was going to be said. He didn't want to hear it, but Tina was his friend.

"The Guardian! He said that the mother wasn't a true believer and the father tried to kill him. He wants ME to raise him. I can't. I'm not a mother. I don't know what I'm doing."

"You have to though. If you go against him, then you know what will happen. You don't want death." Poor Salene, _he thought. _

_"Why can't you take him?" Tina asked. She stood up and walked away as Luke tried to hand the baby over to her. "You know what you're doing. I don't!"_

"Because the Guardian believes Zoot wants you to raise this baby. You must follow his orders." This time, Tina took the baby when Luke handed it to her. "If you need help, you know where I am." Tina nodded her head and began to leave. She stopped at the door and looked back at him.

"Luke? If you ever find out who this child belongs to, you will tell me, right?" Luke swallowed as he felt his throat constrict. "Of course."

The bedroom door opening caused Luke to return to reality. Quickly throwing the blanket back into the box, he never noticed that the ring box had fallen back out. Placing the lid back on the cardboard box, he turned to see Re-Nee enter the room.

"I'm sorry Luke," she said. "I knocked and didn't get an answer. Would you happen to know where Tina is?"

"Uhh… I actually don't. Probably in the kitchen. Let me put this back and I'll tell her you're up here." Re-Nee nodded her head and watched as he put the box up. Hearing him kick something, she looked down at his feet. She couldn't help but smile.

_So he plans on asking her,_ she thought. Plans of weddings and celebrations filled her head. Moving out of the doorway, she let Luke passed. Hearing him start down the stairs, she picked up the box. Inside held the most beautiful ring. _I hope everything turns out well._

Checking to make sure she wouldn't get caught, Re-Nee opened the closet and placed the ring back in the box. She had just closed the door when Tina entered. "I heard you were looking for me," she said.

"You heard correctly. You had said you wanted to talk. Sorry that didn't happen last night."

Tina shook her head. "That's ok. You were busy doing leadership stuff…"

"That doesn't mean that I shouldn't have tracked you down," Re-Nee said, cutting Tina off. "Stop making excuses for me. Now, do you still need to talk to me," she said, getting back on topic.

Tina nodded her head and instantly launched into the story of what happened with Salene. By the end, she was shaking and crying silent tears. "I don't know why I feel like this," she said when she was finished. "I just feel like something bad is about to happen."

"I agree that she was acting strangely, but maybe being reminded of the horrible things that the Chosen did made her freak out?"

"Maybe. I just wished I hadn't said anything now," Tina said as she got up and paced.

"We all do things we regret later. You can fix it by talking to Luke or even Salene. Ask her why she freaked out, why she made up some excuse to leave suddenly."

"I don't know if I could face her. It's hard enough being in the same kitchen." Tina was now wringing her hands together. Re-Nee got up and grabbed her hands.

"Calm down. There is nothing to get upset about. Do what you think is best. BUT I really think you should talk to one or the other." Re-Nee waited until Tina nodded her head. "Now then…" she said as she began to talk of other things.

Talking to Luke hadn't help erase Lex from her thoughts. Even running into Salene in the kitchen wasn't helping. "Earth to Trudy," Salene said, waving her hand in front of Trudy. "You were saying…?"

Trudy shook her head to clear it. "I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Would your talk with Luke be one of them?" Salene asked, hoping Trudy would say something. All this waiting and uncertainty was killing her. Salene was disappointed when Trudy abruptly stood up. "I have to go check on Brady," she said as she practically ran out of the room.

Once she was out of Salene's eyesight, she slowed her pace some. In a few seconds she reached the playroom. The kids had awakened and were busy playing again. Bray Jr., Michael and Johnny were busy playing with the cars, while Mouse was busy reading a book she had found. Brady was still glued to Lex's hip. Trudy felt all her anger boiled up.

Going into the room, she walked over to where Lex and Brady sat. She stopped short when she heard what they were talking about. It was too late to leave without being noticed, so she waited until they did notice her. "Do you like Mommy?" asked Brady. Lex was a little startled. "Why do you ask?" questioned Lex.

"Mommy says you're a big baboon and that you hate her because of something she did when she was young. Is that true?" Lex looked up to think about it. He felt a smile when she saw Trudy looking at him.

"Hate is such a strong word," he said, looking at Trudy the whole time. "I do think she lies and she did a foolish thing." Lex laughed as Trudy's face contorted into anger.

"You son of a b…" Trudy began to say, but was cut off by Lex. "Tsk tsk," he said, wagging his finger. "There are children around."

"GET. OUTSIDE. NOW!" Trudy said, trying to calm herself. _One. Two. Three..._ she counted to herself as Lex got up and walked into the hallway. Watching his cocky gait, she really blew her top.

"I HAVE NO IDEA WHY BRADY IS INTERESTED IN YOU, BUT I WILL NOT HAVE YOU BELITTLEING ME TO MY OWN DAUGHTER!" Trudy yelled as soon as they had gotten outside the room. Lex crossed his arms and smiled. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Trudy demanded.

"Are you scared that your daughter might actually learn you aren't the innocent person you portray?" Lex asked back. "Does she know that Salene practically raised her while you were pinning after Bray? Or the fact that you only started caring about her because you wanted to make Salene jealous and win back Bray?"

"What are you trying to do?" Trudy asked. "All that is in the past. Will you ever grow up!" Trudy cried.

"And you have? What did she say you called me? 'A baboon,' I believe." Lex laughed. Deep down though, he was cringing. _Shut up!_ he kept telling himself. "As you have pointed out, Brady has taken a liking to me. One word and I think she'd believe what I have to say."

SMACK! The sound echoed down the hallways. Lex instantly grabbed a hold of Trudy and pushed her against the wall. The mirror right beside her shook with the force of the hit. Lex looked to see a bright red hand print on his face.

"I HATE YOU!" Trudy cried, trying to struggle free. "You are everything I have ever called you, plus the things I have yet to think of. You are a cocky, self-centered asshole!" With each word, Lex had loosened his grip on her arms, until finally he had completely let her go. "I hope you rot in Hell!" Pushing past him, she ran to her room.

Lex stood there looking after her. He had really messed up this time. Placing his hand against his face, he slowly rubbed his face. _I'll say one thing,_ he thought. _She sure knows how to pack a wallop._

After finishing her talk with Tina, Re-Nee had gone down to check on the laundry. After a couple of minutes, her humming was interrupted by the stomping of feet and the muttering of an angry man. "The low life. Who does he think he is? We've all made mistakes. He can't blame me for his own stupidness. I'm sure he's made thousand of mistakes."

"Tell me who and I can probably name a few of them," Re-Nee said as Jay came around the clothes line. He stopped to look and see who spoke. Realizing it was Re-Nee, he walked over to where she was standing. "Do you want to tell me who you were talking about?" Re-Nee asked.

"I think you can guess, but I really don't want to talk about it," Jay said as he grabbed a sheet from the line. The two of them folded in silence, placing each article into the basket at their feet. Finally, Re-Nee asked, "What's the deal with the boat?"

"The boat?" Jay asked as he came out of his trance. In those few moments of silence, all his anger towards Bray had disappeared. He would admit that he couldn't stand Re-Nee in the beginning, but with each conversation they had, he was seeing her more like a friend.

_What is it about her?_ he asked. This morning alone, he had heard her talking to Amber. What ex-girlfriend would actually help the new girlfriend? _In this case, not new but…_ Jay shook his head to get back to what Re-Nee asked him.

"The boat… Well, we need to let the water recede, but we do have it down by the beach. We didn't get much of a look at it, but it needs to be patched up. Mechanic wise, I don't know about that. I just hope Jack and Ved can figure it out."

"When it comes down to it, Guy can help some. He knows more about that than he let's on," Re-Nee said, placing the last item into the basket. Before she could bend down to pick it up, Jay had already gathered it into their arms.

"I had a talk with Ved," Jay said as they headed back to the house. Re-Nee made a sound that told him to continue. "I decided that I wouldn't leave without him." Re-Nee looked like she was about to say something, but Jay cut her off. "I also said told him that even if the boat was fixed before she gave birth, I would stay behind. Hope you don't mind another person hanging around the house."

"I…uhhh…" Re-Nee started to said, stuttering her words and trying to figure out what she was thinking. _Does this mean that he wants to join the tribe or does he just want to hang around until the next available boat comes around to take the three… no, four of them off?_ She was saved from saying anything by a loud scream that echoed throughout the island.

"Re-Nee!" Tina yelled out the door. "It's Cloe. She's going into labor."


	13. The Truth About Michael

**Disclaimer: Same as before. The Tribe doesn't belong to me. **

**A/N: Sorry about all the confusion. I lost chapters and etc. So, you might have already read this chapter. But now it's in the correct order. Yay! I hope you enjoy it. And I'll try to get another chapter up soon. **

Chapter 13- The Truth About Michael

The inside of the house was in chaos. The rest of the boat crew had arrived by now and were milling around the living room. All but Ved, that is. Re-Nee found him upstairs along with Tina, Salene, Amber, Trudy and of course, Cloe. "Tina and Salene," Re-Nee said, causing the girls to instantly pay attention. "I need you to go downstairs and help keep everyone calm, especially the kids."

The two nodded their heads and then ran off. Re-Nee then turned to focus on her attention on the remaining two girls. "I'm going to need your help. Amber, could you go get me some towels. Get the ones from the basket Jay just brought in." As Amber left, Re-Nee made her next assignment.

"Trudy, start boiling some water. And bring up a bucket of ice water." Trudy began to leave when Re-Nee stopped her again. "If you run into Amber, I want you to tell her to bring wash clothes too."

Back and forth and up and down the stairs the girls ran. With each passing moment, Cloe's screams grew louder and louder. Suddenly, silence rang through the house. Jay sat poised on the edge of his chair, praying that everything would turn out alright. Jay couldn't bare the thought if Ved lost another person he cared for. A held-in breath escaped as the house was filled with the sounds of a new born baby.

Upstairs Cloe was holding her baby for the first time. Ved leaned over to count every toe and finger. "He's a gorgeous boy," Trudy said. "What are you going to name him?"

"Joshua Sam," Cloe said before Ved could even think. "Josh because it's a name I've always loved and Sam after his paternal grandfather." Cloe smiled as she handed the baby to Re-Nee, who took him to finish washing him. Meanwhile, Ved, Trudy and Amber went downstairs to spread the good news.

* * *

"I'm tired," Amber said as she plopped down onto the couch. After Ved had delivered the good news, Jay and him had gone back upstairs to see the baby. Knowing the excitement was over for the night, everyone started to head to their own bedrooms.

"Are you feeling alright?" Trudy asked as she handed Amber a glass of water. Amber wasn't exactly sure how to respond. _What is she talking about?_

"I'm fine, just tired. There's been a lot of excitement since we landed. Can you blame me?" Amber said a little defensively.

"I didn't mean anything by it," Trudy said, full of concern. "You're just looking very pale and seem to be losing weight." All the sudden it seemed like Trudy's light bulb had flashed on. "Do you think it might be the virus? We know nothing about it and…"

"Calm down, Trudy," Amber said laughing. Getting up, she stretched and replied, "I don't have the virus. It's stress; it's emotion over-load. That's all it is, trust me." Giving Trudy a hug, she straightened again. "Thanks for the concern. In the beginning we had our rough spots, but I've always been able to count on you. Now, I'm off to bed."

"Goodnight," Trudy called after her. On the way up the stairs, Amber ran into Bray. "I need to talk to you," they said at the same time. They each gave the other a half smile. "Follow me," Bray said as he started to walk to his room.

Once in there, he made sure she was comfortable before he sat down. "You go first," Bray said. Amber sat in silence while she collected her thoughts. She had hoped Bray would go first, but he was a gentleman and would continue to demand for her to go first. Finally she blurted out, "Did you really mean what you told me that second night?"

"Amber…" Bray started to say, as if Amber and him had had this conversation a million times before. "No Bray," Amber said, cutting him off, "I _NEED_ to know. I don't want you to feel as if you _HAVE_ to be with me because of little Bray. If you've fallen in love with Re-Nee, I think I could understand. I would never take Bray Jr. away from you.

"Bray, you are my 'one'," Amber said, continuing her speech, "my prince charming. I've always loved you, and still do. Sasha, Pride and Jay, well, they were just… they were just frogs in my way of finding you."

Bray leaned forward and took her hands. "Everything I told you, I meant. Only you have held the 'keys to my heart'. I also believe that I fell in love with you from the first moment I saw you. Call it teenage hormones if you want, but I believe it was love.

"When you thought you wanted to be with Sasha, I was filled with so much jealousy. When I thought you were dead, I died. Seeing that you weren't dead, but only to find out you were sort of seeing Pride, didn't help me feel anymore alive. I didn't want to leave you that day the plane came. I fought, but I guess not hard enough. Amber, I do love you. With all my heart, I love you."

The room seemed to glow with all the happiness flowing around the room. Neither knew what to say and were happy just sitting in silence staring at each other. Finally Amber said, "I know that we can't jump right back into our previous relationship, but I'm willing to work at it."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," he said.

* * *

Amber felt like her stomach was on a boat that was cruising around the ocean in the middle of a hurricane. Quickly throwing the covers off her, Amber ran into the bathroom, retching up all of the previous night's dinner. Finally finishing, Amber sat with her back leaning against the toilet.

Trudy's worries came flooding into her mind. _Could I have the virus?_ This was the third time this week that she's woken up with this terrible feeling. Amber was slightly startled when there was a knock on the door.

"Amber?" Bray's voice filtered through. "Is everything okay?" Amber quickly stood up and grabbed a wet rag. "Uhh…yeah," she said as she wiped her face. Cleaning up, she placed a happy look on her face.

"Why wouldn't I feel okay?" she asked as she opened the door.

"It just sounded like you were throwing up or something," Bray said concerned. "Did you eat something that didn't agree with you?"

Amber gave her custom half-smile. "I must have, or I'm just getting use to this fresh air." Walking around Bray, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Did you sleep well?" The two walked over to the bed. Looking down, they watched as their son sleep.

Bray seemed to think about her question. Finally, he gave a little laugh. "Actually, I did sleep well. Did you?"

Amber nodded her head. "I did too." The two looked at each other before settling down to chat and wait for their son to wake up.

* * *

Tina was up at the crack of dawn as usual. Downstairs, she was getting breakfast ready. Her movements were jerky and she never acknowledged Luke as he entered the kitchen. Danni and Guy were in shock. Getting up, Danni dragged Guy outside for some private talking.

"Did you see that?" she asked. "She completely ignored him. She has never done that, even when she was mad at him." Danni looked a lot like Ellie when she had found some pivotal facts.

"Calm down, Danni," Guy said. "I saw the exact same thing. Plus, Luke was sleeping on the couch when I came downstairs. They must have had a fight, maybe about Ellie. That is one of Luke's old flames, right?" Guy acted as if it was no big deal.

"Aren't you worried? Don't you see what these Mall Rats are doing to us?"

Guy laughed at her dramatics and placed both his hands on her shoulders. "Don't you think you're over-reacting?"

"Do you think I am?" she asked back. She was in shock. It seemed like even Guy was turning on her. "Look at Bray and Re-Nee. Within seconds of the Mall Rats arriving, they separated. Now, Bray is all over Amber."

Guy shook his head. "You never thought that their relationship would last, so why are you so upset? It just came sooner, rather than later."

"Fine," Danni said angrily. Crossing her arms, she began to walk away. "Agree with everyone else." Guy let her walk away.

_She'll calm down,_ he thought, _but what is her problem? I know she's always had problems with Ebony, but why is she blaming all of this on the Mall Rats? And what is going on with Tina and Luke? If I couldn't pull them apart, then nothing can._ Shaking his head, Guy started back towards the house.

* * *

Salene took a deep breath. No one was around, so now would be the best time to confront Tina. Salene had even made sure that Michael was out and about. She didn't want him to hear anything that went on between his 'mother' and her.

Taking one last breath, Salene walked through the kitchen door. Tina stood at the sink cleaning the pile of dishes everyone had left behind. "We need to talk," Salene commanded. She watched as Tina took a deep breath and turned around.

"I was hoping he hadn't told you yet," Tina whispered. "I was only told last night." Anger still coursed through her as she thought back to just a few hours ago.

_Ever since Salene had run out of the kitchen that day, Tina had been filled with dread. Over and over again, she wondered who Michael's mother was and if Salene could be it. Her talk with Re-Nee had given her the courage she needed. Wanting to know the answer, she tracked down Luke._

_Sitting in the middle of their bed, Luke leaned against the headboard reading. When he heard the door open, he looked up and into Tina's eyes. He knew he swore Trudy he would tell and he knew he swore himself that he wouldn't but one look into her eyes made him realized he had to keep his promise with Trudy._

_Tina watched as Luke's face went from contentment to guilt. She crumbled as she realized that he had known all along. "How could you!" she yelled as she backed up into the closed door. "You promised me that you would tell me! You promised!"_

"_I can explain…" he said, getting up out of the bed. Tina shook her head, not wanting to hear excuses. "Just tell me if Salene's is his mother," Tina said._

_Luke stood silently by the bed. Finally, he nodded his head. He felt his world crumble as he watched Tina sink to the floor. He walked over to her, but she scrambled away. "Get out!" she yelled. "I never want to talk to you again. Get out!"_

_Luke knew that she was serious. Getting his pillow, he looked back one more time at her. Tears fell non-stop and Luke felt his heartbreak. When she continued to ignore him, Luke stepped out of the room. _

"I want my son back!" Salene yelled, bring Tina back to the matter at hand. "You…Luke…you stole him from me and I want him back!"

"I never! Everything I told you was the truth. The Guardian brought him to me. I tried to pass him off to Luke, but he wouldn't take him." Tina wasn't sure what she should do. She loved Michael with all her heart and she didn't want to give him up, _but_ she knew that Michael belonged to someone else.

"If you didn't want him, then you could have found his mother. You were a Chosen member, you had connections."

"I had to do what the Guardian told me to do. You knew what he was like. He was crazy. For me, it was a life or death situation."

"You still could have found out the mother was me!" Salene couldn't get over the fact. If Tina hadn't wanted to raise Michael, then she could have found ways to not raise him.

"I was going to, but then I got attached. He was so sweet and innocent. I didn't want him to get caught up in the Guardians' crazy world, so I did what I thought was best for him.

"I made Luke promise me that he would tell me who the mother was, but he never told me. I finally got to a point where I thought I would never discover Michael's mother. You can't expect me to give up my son!"

"He's not your son! He's all I have left of Ryan. He's my future and I can expect you to give him back to me. What if Brady was your child? You would expect Trudy to give her to you."

Tina looked down. Both Salene and her had been crying and it didn't look like they would be stopping anytime soon. "I lost Ryan and I felt so guilty. I had treated him so badly. I had lost both him and my child at the same time. I got better, but every time I saw Trudy with Brady and later when Amber had Bray Jr., I got lonely and wondered what it would have been like if I hadn't lost my child." Salene stopped speaking and looked up at Tina. "Knowing my child survived and not being able to raise him would kill me. Do what's right…" Turning away from Tina, Salene ran out of the kitchen.

Salene knew she couldn't force Tina to give Michael to her. That would only hurt him in the end. The only thing Salene could do was wait for Tina to do the right thing.

Tina fought with herself as she thought about what she would do. One side of her knew that Salene was right, that she should give Michael back to his biological mother. The other side said that he was too young, that he wouldn't understand what was going on. Giving up, she ran outside to gain Re-Nee's advice.

* * *

Re-Nee couldn't believe what a beautiful day it was. Gathering the children, she took them outside, never noticing the tensions floating throughout the house. "Stay within my eyesight," Re-Nee yelled, looking specifically at Mouse. They all shouted "Yes ma'am" and ran away.

Sitting on the ground, Re-Nee lifted Bray Jr. into her lap. _He looks so much like his father,_ she thought. Re-Nee opened a book for Bray Jr. to flip through, but Re-Nee's mind was elsewhere.

_It was a day just like this one and Re-Nee was sitting in the exact same spot. Looking up, she saw Michael and Johnny playing, but they were bigger, older. Running after them was a little boy Re-Nee had never seen, but on some level knew that he was Joshua._

_Laughing at the boys' antics, Re-Nee looked down into her lap. Bray Jr. had been replaced by a baby girl that was playing with Re-Nee's bracelet. Alternating between a pale blue and white, the bracelet had a few brown boats dotting it._

_Focusing more on the baby, Re-Nee watched as the little girl stopped playing with the bracelet and focused on the shells in front of her. "Today, we are going to make your first bracelet," Re-Nee whispered. Re-Nee knew she was holding her own child, but she didn't know how it was possible. Continuing her conversation with the little girl, she said, "We've just got to wait for your daddy."_

"_I'm right here, Re-Nee…" a male voice said. Re-Nee knew it was familiar, she was just having a hard time placing it._

As suddenly as the dream had started, Re-Nee was shaken awake. "Are you alright, Re-Nee?" Jay asked. Re-Nee shook her head to clear the remaining dream fragments. "I just spaced out," she said.

Jay nodded his head and sat next to her. Having lost interest in the book, Bray Jr. crawled into Jay's lap. They sat in the silence until Re-Nee asked, "How's the boat coming?"

"Almost done. The guys are putting the last of the wood on. Bray's being his usual jackass-self, so I made my escape." Jay instantly covered his mouth and Re-Nee laughed. "I'm really sorry," Jay sputtered.

"Don't worry about it. We all are entitled to our opinions." As Re-Nee's laughter faded away, the two sat in silence once more. This time, Jay interrupted the comforting peace they had between them.

"Do you ever wish that the Mall Rats had never shown up? That you and Bray never broke up?" Jay's questions startled Re-Nee and she looked over to make sure he was serious. Once she realized he was, she looked back at the children and thought about her answer.

"The truth?" she asked. She waited until he nodded his head before answering. "In a lot of ways, I'm grateful. I cared deeply for him and even in love with him, but I wasn't _in love_ with him. Love is more than just caring for someone and it's taken us breaking up to realize that at times I felt trapped. If we continued on that track, we would have ruined any friendship we had."

Jay nodded his head. "I know what you mean," he said. "The longer Amber and I stayed together, the more suffocated I felt. I realized I was staying in the relationship just to have a companion. She deserves more. As much as I hate to say anything nice about Bray, he really loves her and she deserves that."

Re-Nee looked up and couldn't help but feel attracted to him. They really were in the same boat, both had been in relationship because they wanted to have companionship and didn't want to feel left out in a world surrounded by couples.

Trying to clear her head, Re-Nee turned to Jay. A little girl's excitement filled her voice as she asked, "What is it like to live in the city? How did they survive without adults? Tina and the other told me some things, but I want to know everything."

Jay laughed at her enthusiasm. "They survived the same way you did; they adapted. In the beginning, either you were part of a big tribe or you were their slave. Everyone became a scavenger and lived off what they could find…" Jay continued to talk as Re-Nee listened. Every once in a while he would say something that would make her laugh.

_She really is pretty when she smiles,_ Jay thought. _She hasn't done that much since we got here, but I wish she would._

Jay was saved from reviewing what he was thinking by the approach of Tina. Her look alone said that she wanted to talk to Re-Nee in private. Picking Bray Jr. up. Jay said, "We'll finish talking later." Re-Nee was startled by Jay's abrupt ending, but soon realized what was going on when a tear-soaked Tina sat down next to her.

"What's the matter?" Re-Nee asked as she wrapped her arms around her best friend's shoulders. She waited for Tina to calm down before she asked again.

"The lying jerk!" was the first thing Tina yelled. "He knew that Michael belonged to her and he never told me. He promised me he would tell me but he didn't."

"Who? Who is Michael's mother?" Re-Nee instantly knew what Tina was talking about, but she didn't know what she could do.

"Salene. Salene is his mother and she wants him back. She wants to take him away from me. He's mine! Right?"

"Oh Tina!" Re-Nee cried. "You've been a wonderful mother to him. Of course he's yours."

"But?" Tina asked. She knew that there was a 'but' coming. There is always a 'but'.

"But think about how Salene must feel. Maybe the two of you can work something out. Maybe the two of you could finish raising him, like a mother and step-mother."

"But who is the mother and who is the step-mother?" Tina asked. "Who has the most power? A mother can say something that a step-mother can't refute. Who is who in this situation?" Re-Nee was going to say something, but Tina cut her off. "If I did talk to Salene, would you be there? As support?"

Re-Nee instantly nodded her head. "Of course. You're my best friend. I'll always be there. Just tell me when."

* * *

Dinner was a sober affair. Everyone seemed to be avoiding someone. Even the kids could tell that something was wrong. Bray Jr. wouldn't eat and continually fussed. His constant motions constantly knocked his dinner bowl over. Eventually, Amber excused herself and took Bray Jr. with her.

Following her lead, the kids quickly finished their dinners and excused themselves. Rushing into the living room, the Surfer and the Mall Rat children went to separate sides of the room.

"It's all their fault," Johnny grumbled to Michael, loud enough for the Mall Rat kids to hear. "I wish they had never come here."

"Yeah," Michael agreed, copying his come again best friend. "Wish they had never come."

"Yeah!" Mouse asked loudly. "Well, we wished we had never stopped here also!"

"Yeah," chimed Brady, insulted by how rude Michael and Johnny were acting.

"Well," Johnny said, looking at Mouse, "if you're such a good swimmer, why don't you try swimming back to your precious city? Maybe along the way, you'll get caught in a storm. Then no one would have to worry about you again."

That set Mouse off and she lunged at Johnny. Michael and Brady stood watching, unsure if they should go inform the adults.

Mouse and Johnny instantly jumped apart when a loud male voice boomed overhead. "What is going on here?" he asked. All the kids looked at Slade, hoping they wouldn't be in trouble. Instantly, Mouse and Johnny said, "Nothing."

Brady was brave enough to step forward. "Why is everyone fighting?" she asked. "It's like you and Guy are the only people that are happy."

"Oh…" Slade started. Sitting down, he pulled Brady close. "Well Brady, there is a lot of hard feelings between most of them. They all share a bad past that they are finding hard to get over. You'll understand once you are older. Now," he said, looking at Mouse and Johnny, "I want the two of you to stop fighting. I know that hearing that from me is strange, but the others have enough to handle without having to worrying about the two of you too."

Getting up, he left the kids to handle their own problems.

* * *

Before heading to bed that night, Ellie decided to try and talk to Salene once more. Entering the kitchen, Ellie saw Salene talking to Trudy. Clearing her throat, she got the attention of the two girls. "Could we talk, Salene?"

"Can't it wait?" whined Salene. She placed her head on her hand in the typical I'm-tired-and-don't-want-to-be-bothered gesture.

Ellie stood her ground. "It's really can't wait," she said.

"Dammit Ellie!" Trudy exclaimed as she stood up. "Are you so selfish that you only think of yourself? Can't you see that Salene is in a lot of pain right now?" Ellie was going to apologize, but Trudy cut her off. "Of course not! You couldn't possibly understand what it feels like. She just found out that someone she trusted – no someone _/all/_ of us trusted lied to us.

"Salene has had it rough. All those people she has loved have died, but she now has the chance to be reunited with one of them."

"What are you talking about?" Ellie asked, finally getting the chance to say something.

"MICHAEL!" Trudy and Salene yelled. "Michael is Salene's son, the child she thought she lost when she fell down the stairs," Trudy said, finishing the explanation.

Ellie was shocked. _I never… I forgot Salene had lost a child. It never occurred to me that Luke had helped raised the no longer mysterious child._

"That low-down dirt bag!" Ellie yelled. "How could he do that? He knew losing that child hurt you and he didn't do anything." Trudy was going to voice her agreement, but Ellie wasn't done yet. "And that black haired, blue-streaked cow! She probably knew all along, but didn't say a word…"

"She didn't know," Salene whispered. "Luke lied to her as much as he lied to us."

"And you believed her?" Ellie asked. Taking a seat at the table, Ellie waited for her response.

"You didn't see the look in her eyes when I confronted her this morning. She was hurt and confused."

"She's going to do the right thing, right? She's going to give Michael back to you?" Trudy asked. "She'll let you be the mother to your own child, right?"

"I don't know…"

"What do you mean that you don't know? It's your right to raise your own son!" Trudy was getting angry with the way things were going.

"You don't know what it's like to return a child to his or her mother after you've learned to love it as your own!" Salene yelled, standing up. "I can't believe I'm defending her, but I know exactly what she's feeling."

Turning to Trudy, Salene continued. "In the beginning, you were a terrible mother. No, let me finish," she said when Trudy wanted to defend herself. "I couldn't stand to see Brady suffer. The more I took care of her, the more I loved her. At times, I would pretend you didn't exist and Brady was my own child.

"When you finally decided you wanted to be a good mother, I hated giving Brady up. I felt like you were taking _my_ child away. But I did the right thing. I gave Brady back to you. Tina's… Tina's a good person, but making a decision like this feels like a life and death situation. I just… I just got to give her time. Until then," Salene said pausing, "I just don't know."


	14. Another Baby

Chapter 14- Another Baby

Three days passed and still no one seemed to want to talk to anybody else. Process on the boat slowed as the guys stayed close to home. They were too worried that if they left for a long period of a time, they would return with someone seriously hurt.

Cloe watched as Ved rocked their son. They had been talking about what everyone's problem was. "…and have you seen how Lex and Trudy act around each other?"

"What do you mean?" Ved asked as he looked up at his wife. "From all that you have told me about them, they don't seem to be acting strange." While working with the Technos, Ved only conversed with Cloe, and didn't have much contact with the other Mall Rats. All he knew was based on what Cloe told him, so he really didn't understand what Cloe was talking about.

"Oh, I agree. They're fighting like normal, but there's something more." Cloe paused to contemplate what was going on in her mind. "When they don't think anyone is looking, especially each other, a look passes between them. Lex looks like he wants to jump her. She looks the same, but there's some confusion and anger mixed in."

"Maybe they secretly like each other and are too afraid to say something," Ved proposed nonchalantly. Cloe began to laugh.

"They hate each other! There's no possible way." _Or is there? _she asked herself.

"Either way…" Ved said as he began to walk towards Cloe, "the easiest way to find out is to ask. Now, little Josh is hungry and I should go downstairs to see if we are going to work on the boat any." After handing Josh to Cloe, Ved leaned in for a kiss. Getting what he wanted, he left Cloe to think about Lex and Trudy.

* * *

The first person Ved ran into was his brother. "Hey, bro!" he called to get his attention. Jay turned around and waited for Ved to catch up. "Where are you going?" Ved asked as he came to a stop next to his brother. They began walking before Jay answered.

"I was going to go check on the boat." Jay seemed a little restless. Although they were now walking, he seemed to have some pent-up energy. Jay kept fiddling with his hands, something the normally cool and collect Jay would never do.

"Is everything okay?" Ved asked. He waved to Bray as he waited for Jay to explain what was wrong. Jay looked to see who Ved was waving to and sped up his walking.

"I guess I'm not use to this semi-idle lifestyle. Never thought I'd say that, huh?" Jay asked, trying to pacify his brother. "So, how is it? Being a new father and all?"

Ved realized Jay was changing the topic, but answered the question anyways. "It's great, life-changing," he said as he laughed. A smile grew across his face, one Jay hadn't seen since before the virus. "I now understand why they say it's the miracle of life. Don't tell Cloe or anybody," Ved said, lowering his voice, "but I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night just to watch him sleep."

"And wasn't it you that was saying you never wanted kids?" Jay teased. "In fact, I believe it was you that said how you hated children. They were too needy and…" Ved playfully pushed his brother.

"Shut up," he said. "And what about you? You were the one who loved kids. Where's yours? I'm surprised Amber and you never had a child."

"That's not true…" Jay whispered. It looked like Ved had hit the nerve that would get Jay to tell him what was wrong.

"What are you talking about?"

Jay paused and started to look around. When he was sure no one was around, he pulled his brother over to the tree the boat was attached to. "The night before last I overheard Bray and Trudy talking about Amber….

"_I'm really worried about her," Bray said. He was keeping his voice down in case there was anyone around. Trudy sat on the couch next to him, her head bent close to hear what he had to say. "Every morning she's been getting up and rushing to the bathroom. I swear I hear her throwing up, but she says it's not true."_

_Trudy nodded her head. "I knew something was wrong. I thought I heard the same thing yesterday. I even asked if she was feeling okay the day that Josh was born." Trudy paused trying to think what was going on with her best friend. "Do you… do you think it's the virus?"_

_Bray violently shook his head. "Don't even think it, Trudy. I won't lose her again. I just won't!" Trudy placed her hand on his knee. "I'm sorry Bray. She just got me so nervous."_

"They didn't know I was listening in," Jay told his brother. "I ran up the stairs and knocked on the bedroom door. There was no answer. I waited, debating what I should do. Then I heard something coming from the bathroom, so I knocked on the door…

_Amber instantly pulled away from the toilet. "Yes?" she called._

"_Open up, Amber!" Jay demanded. It took only seconds before Amber opened the door. She had cleaned up and was acting like nothing was going on. _

"_There are other toilets if you really needed to use one," she teased. "It's all yours." Stepping aside, she let Jay have access to the bathroom. Instead, Jay followed her._

_He waited until they got to her room before he said anything. "Why are you throwing up?" he asked. "If this has something to do with the virus, you should have said something. It would affect all of us."_

_Amber shook her head. "Like I told Trudy, it's NOT the virus. Now if you excuse me…"_

"_No I won't." Jay held the door opened by placing his foot in the doorway and placing his hand on the door. "If it's not the virus, then what is it?" Amber looked around._

_Giving up fighting and needing to tell someone, Amber said, "Come in and I'll tell you," she said. She stood and paced the room. "You might want to take a seat," she said when Jay continued to stand. Following her advice, he sat on the edge of the bed._

_Amber paced a little longer and then stopped right in front of him. "We're… I'm in major trouble," she said._

"_What do you mean?" he asked. "How are we in trouble?"_

"_I'm pregnant!" she cried. "I'm three months pregnant and it's our child!" Jay sat in shock._

"I didn't believe her at first, but then her symptoms sank in," explained Jay as finished his story. "The nausea. The tiredness I see in her eyes…" Jay still seemed to be keeping something inside, but Ved was in too much shock to notice.

"So," Ved started, trying to understand, "you're going to be a father." The two sat in silence. "Wow," Ved whispered after a while.

"I don't know if I would use that to describe it, but yeah…"

"What are you going to do? Have you told Bray yet?"

"I don't know, and no we haven't. I'm not sure if I want to tell him, if Amber should tell him or if the two of us should."

"Whatever you're decision is, I'll support you. Looks like I'm getting the chance to be the more responsible brother."

* * *

Re-Nee stretched as she yawned. Rolling over, she pulled the covers over her head. It had been a long time since she had slept in and she was going to enjoy it as long as she could. That was called short when there was a knock on the door. "Re-Nee? Are you okay?" Cloe asked through the door.

"Go away…" Re-Nee mumbled. She curled even deeper, hoping that Cloe would get the point. Reaching to the other side of the bed, Re-Nee grabbed the second pillow. It smelled like the summer sun and the ocean wind, mixed with something she just couldn't name. She wasn't complaining though.

"Re-Nee? Did you say something?" Cloe continued. "Tina's looking for you and Johnny's worried. He's afraid you're depressed about something."

"I'm up!" Re-Nee yelled. "Tell him I'll be right down." Cloe said 'okay' and Re-Nee was left with a little peace. Stretching one more time, she got up and started her routine morning chores.

She paused when it came time to make her bed. Red spots dotted her sheets. Paying no mind, she gathered up her sheets and continued along her way with a smile on her face. Giving her room once last look, she made sure everything was in order.

Going downstairs, she headed straight to the laundry room. Dropping her sheets off, she said hi to Cloe. "I'm sorry I was so grouchy. I was enjoying my sleep."

Cloe took the sheets from her and put them with the other color cloths. "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry I woke you up. I don't think I've ever seen you sleep this late. You deserve it."

"What time is it anyways?" Re-Nee asked. _The way Cloe is talking, you would think I slept the morning and most of the afternoon away._

"Umm…" Cloe thought. "It's got to be past one or two by now."

_I did sleep the day away._ "Wow. I didn't realize it was that late. I haven't slept that long since before the virus. Well, I better go find Johnny before he tears the house down in search of me." Re-Nee and Cloe laughed and then Re-Nee was on her way.

Re-Nee had barely made it into the kitchen before Johnny was calling for her. "SIS!" he yelled. "Are you sick? Why were you still in bed? What's wrong? Are you sick?" The older sibling was saved by the entrance of Tina.

"As you can see," Tina said to Johnny, "she is more than okay. Now, why don't you go play with Michael and the other kids?"

"Do I have to?" he whined.

"Yes."

"No." Tina looked at Re-Nee, a little shocked. Although Re-Nee loved Johnny with all her heart, she stayed too busy to have her little brother under her feet. "I was thinking about grabbing a fishing pole and going down to the docks," Re-Nee explained. "Johnny's more than welcomed to come."

Johnny wasted no time and ran for the fishing poles. Re-Nee laughed at his enthusiasm, but stopped when Luke entered the room. The two other occupants looked so sad, but both were too stubborn to say anything that would make the situation better. _Something has got to be done about those two,_ Re-Nee thought, but nothing could keep the smile of her face.

Saying good-bye to the two, Re-Nee practically skipped out of the room. At that moment, Cloe entered into the room. "That was strange," Tina said. "I've never seen her act like that. She was actually…"

"Giddy," Luke supplied. Tina looked at him and actually felt connected to him for the first time since she found out that he had lied. "What has gotten into her?"

"It's that time of month," Cloe said. Tina gave a knowing nod of her head, while Luke looked confused. "Sheets tell everything. Maybe instead of moping, she's trying something new."

Tina shrugged and began to walk away. Luke watched after her, wishing he had the courage to say something, to follow. He was about to walk outside when he heard someone clearing their throat. Turning, he saw Tina standing in the doorway. She looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just shook her head.

Luke was about to walked out the back door, but turned back to look at Tina one last time. This time, she stood facing him. "Are you coming or what?" she asked. Not saying another word, she walked back out of the kitchen.

* * *

Ebony took a hold of Slade's hand as they walked down the beach. The cool, wet sands felt great against her bare feet. She felt different here, like she was never Queen of the Locos or Ram's wife.

_That's what I wanted, right? To forget my past, to start anew._ Ebony was jolted from her thoughts by Slade whispering into her ear.

"And what is going on in that thick-head of yours?" he asked, his voice filled with seriousness. It was a little game they played. To the untrained eye, it looked like they hated each other, but in reality, they couldn't keep their hands off one another.

"And what concern is it to you?" she asked, more serious than the game called for. _You don't have to tell him everything,_ the commanding side of her said.

"I get the point," Slade said. "You don't want to talk. That's all you had to say."

_I would talk if I knew what was going on in my mind,_ the calmer side of Ebony said. _But I have no clue myself, so why make myself vulnerable?_

The two continued their walk. Neither saying anything to the other, yet there was a very comforting silence surrounding them.

* * *

"Tina… look…" Luke began to say as soon as they reached the living room.

Tina held up her hand. "Don't say another word. I get to go first." Luke sat down and waited for Tina to begin. He nervous played with anything his hands made contact with. First, it was his other hand, then a stray string from the couch. Finally, he grabbed a couch pillow.

"I trusted you," Tina began. With each word said, she had to fight the urge to hit him. She was still angry with him, but Michael had started asking questions about why they weren't sleeping together, so Tina thought it was time to talk. "Even before we started this relationship, I trusted you. You gave me your word. You promised that you would tell me who the mother was, but you kept it a secret. You waited too long to tell me the truth. I don't know if I could ever forgive you."

"But Tina…" Luke exclaimed, but she cut him short. "I am not done yet," she said, shutting him up.

"I love Michael like he is my own, but now I have to decide whether I should give him back to his biological mother or selfishly keep him for myself. Three years ago, I would and could have given him up without looking back. Three years ago, I had the chance to do that, but you kept vital information from me. Now, when I give him to Salene, a part of me will die."

Tina sat down and wiped the tears from her face. Luke got up and knelt in front of her. He lifted her chin until they could look into each others eyes. "I know that there's probably nothing I can do to salvage our relationship, but I want a chance to explain things." He waited for Tina to say something. When she didn't, he took the chance to explain himself.

"First of all, I'm sorry. I know that by me saying it nothing will change, but I'm truly am sorry. I was looking out for everybody, but it backfired on me. Salene was in enough trouble. First of all, she was a Mall Rat, friend to the rebels. You know how the Guardian felt about them. He only kept them alive because he thought it would be beneficial to him. Not only was she a Mall Rat, but so was her husband, the man that tried to kill the Guardian. The Guardian was afraid enough. He didn't want to worry about Salene raising the child to be just like his dad."

Luke paused a second to catch his breath. He wanted to get this all out before Tina decided not to listen to him. "I knew you were the best to take care of Michael, that's why I didn't take him from you that night. It's the reason why I didn't tell you who the mother was. You would have rushed to Salene and dropped Michael off. That move alone would have killed Salene and you. The Guardian… well, he was crazy. He didn't care if he killed someone who was no harm to him. Michael would have been passed on to someone else, someone who might not have taken care of him as well as you did.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you sooner, as soon as we got to the island, but the longer we were away from the city, the more I thought it wouldn't matter. I never imagined Salene to show up on our little beach here." Luke stopped. The words were now chocking him. He felt like this would be the last time he would be able to talk to Tina.

"Please forgive me. I never meant for things to turn out this way." It was his turn to look down at the ground and for Tina to lift his chin. She smiled at him and he began to fill with hope.

"If you ever keep anything so important from me again, I swear you will never see the light of day again. I will kick your ass. Do you understand?" She waited for him to nod his head. When he did, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. When it finally ended, Luke looked her in the eyes. "I promise never to keep a secret from you again."


	15. Trouble Brews

**A/N: Ok. Hello everyone. Here's the next piece. Enjoy it. It'll be a little while for the next chapter. I've got to finish writing it up.**

Chapter 15- Trouble Brews

Right before Tina walked into the kitchen to begin dinner, Re-Nee and Johnny walked into the kitchen, each carrying a handful of fish. "Think this will be enough to feed everyone?" asked Re-Nee. Tina laughed and took the fish from Johnny.

"Go clean up," she instructed. Johnny nodded his head and ran off do to as she said.

"Someone's in a better mood," Re-Nee teased.

"Maybe I caught the bug that's going around," Tina teased back. Re-Nee looked confused, but Tina finished her joke. "The bug that's got you in such a good mood." Re-Nee blushed and shrugged her shoulders.

"What can I say? I slept great last night." Tina and her began to clean the fish. "But really, this is a dramatic change from yesterday, not to mention earlier in the day. What happened to put that twinkle back into your eyes?"

"Luke and I have made up," Tina laughed. "I knew he had my best interest at heart. I was just too afraid to admit what the future would hold. Plus," she paused as she cleaned her knife, "I was hurt that he didn't tell me sooner. I realize why he didn't say anything when we were in the city, but he should have said something after we left. I could have given Michael to Salene before we were shipped out of the city."

"Once you've kept something a secret for a long time, it's hard to tell the truth about it. Plus," Re-Nee said as laughter filled her voice, "he was probably afraid that you'd feed him to the sharks if he told you the truth."

The girls' laughter filled the room. Unbeknownst to them, Michael and Johnny had entered the kitchen. "Mommy happy!" Michael said as he enthusiastically nodded his head. Johnny smiled and nodded his head too. "Yes, she is," he said.

Once the girls laughter died down, Tina asked, "And what has got you acting so giddy today? Normally, when it that time of the month, you're as grouchy as a grizzly bear awakened from his winter sleep."

"I'm not on my…" Re-Nee began to say as the cheerfulness left her voice.

"But Cloe said…" Tina interrupted.

"She was wrong." Re-Nee said firmly. "Do you think you can handle the rest of this? I want to go upstairs and change."

"Go ahead," Tina dejectedly said. She was a little upset that Re-Nee had lost some of that giddiness she held only moments before. _Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut._ Turning to watch her go, Tina saw Michael and Johnny. "I'm glad y'all are here," she said, beckoning them with her finger. "Come and set the table. Hurry up. Dinner won't take too long."

* * *

Ellie was angry and stressed, a combination she didn't like. After dinner, she went upstairs to cool off a little. All she wanted to do was watch him lie in a pool of his own blood.

When she finally felt calmer, she went in search of her prey. She finally found him in the playroom, reading a story to Michael. She stayed back as Luke finished his nightly ritual.

"…and they lived happily ever after. The End." Luke closed the book and looked up. Seeing Ellie, he knew exactly what was to come. Looking back at his son, he said, "Why don't you head on upstairs and get ready. Mommy will tuck you in tonight."

Michael groaned at the fact that he had to go to bed, but did as he was told. Giving his father a goodnight kiss and hug, he head towards the door. "Night Miss. Ellie," he said as he walked past her.

"Good night," she whispered back to him. After he had left her eyesight, Ellie turned back to Luke.

"Come… have a seat," he said tiredly. He was tired of explaining his actions, tired of looking like the bad guy. Ellie listened part way. She came into the room, but was too restless to sit.

"How could you?" she asked immediately. "How could you go along with a plan that kept Salene from raising her child?"

A hollow laugh escaped from Luke's lips. "You're actually asking me that? You told me countless of time what you thought of the Guardian and his state of mind. What do you think would have happened if I went against his plans?"

Ellie hadn't thought about it that way. Her mind had been wrapped around the fact that he had betrayed her and her tribe. "Well?" Luke's question interrupted her thought.

"I don't know!" Ellie yelled as she sat down. "It still doesn't excuse you from what you've done!"

"I'll tell you what would have happened. Salene and Tina would have been dead for betraying the 'holy' word of Zoot. At best, Michael would have been past on to someone who actually liked children. He might even have been passed on to someone who didn't like children. At worst, the Guardian would have killed him. So what if he lost a child of a slave? It wasn't important to him.

"I looked out for their best interest." Luke continued, standing up and pacing the room. "I saved their lives, and yet I'm the bad guy. I kept Michael from Salene so that she could live and possibly have more children. I didn't tell Tina because she was my best and only friend I had in the Chosen and I didn't want to lose her. It was the only way I could even _TRY_ to make up for the acts I did under the tutoring of the Guardian.

"So don't sit there and think you're better than me. At that time you might not have had a second thought about returning Michael to Salene, but I'm sure you've grown up enough to see the foolishness in it." Finishing his speech, Luke sank down to the couch. "I didn't make this decision in hopes of hurting someone. You know how I felt about the Mall Rats. I would never hurt any of them."

Getting up, Luke walked out of the playroom and up the stairs. Ellie sat where she was, watching him leave. He had spread some light on the situation and now she felt like the bad guy. In some way, she knew she had blamed him and thought he did it on purpose, but she did like to think she had grown up and she knew that he really only did it to save all their lives.

Standing up, she tiredly walked up the stairs. All her anger had left her, making her feel empty and drained. Tomorrow she would have to worry about making things right again. Tonight, she just needed to sleep.

* * *

Jay sat in his room, debating what he should do. He didn't want to stay in his room, but he didn't know if she would accept him. This is what he had kept from Ved, what he had kept inside of him all day long.

Giving up, Jay laid down on his bed. Closing his eyes, he thought about what had happened last night.

_After he had left Amber's room, Jay felt the desperate need to talk to someone. "But who?" he mumbled. Trudy couldn't be trusted too much. She was too close to Bray. Ved was too busy being a father. Before he even realized it, Jay had stopped in front of Re-Nee's door._

Why not?_ he thought. They had been getting closer and all he needed was someone to talk to. Knocking impatiently on the door, Jay shifted his weight from foot to foot as he waited for an answer. He knocked again and got an answer, although an angry one._

"_Hold on a second!" Re-Nee yelled, followed by some grumbling that Jay couldn't understand. Finally, she jerked open the door. Jay temporarily forgot what he wanted to talk about. There was something about seeing Re-Nee barefooted and in pajama shorts and a tank top that made Jay think like a thirteen year old boy. _

_But even seeing her long, bare legs didn't keep the desperately lost look off his face. "Jay? What's wrong?" When he didn't answer, Re-Nee took his hand. "Come in." Leading him into the room, she closed the door behind him and sat down Indian-style on the bed._

_Jay made his way to sit next to her and Re-Nee moved over to give him room. "Like I tell everyone who comes to talk to me, nothing leaves this room." Re-Nee hoped that this would open him up._

"_I don't know what to do," he said. Re-Nee waited for him to continue, knowing that until she knew more she wouldn't be any help to him. "One minute I know where my life is heading and the next I can't even predict what's going to happen."_

"_That's life. If you knew what was going to happen day after day, life would get tedious. I live three years of my life that way. Why do you think I nicknamed this island Hell Island?"_

"_But what if you found out something that would change your life forever? Not only your life, but the lives of many," Jay clarified. "What if you were too afraid to accept your future?"_

"_I can't tell you anything unless you give me more information." All these hypothetical questions were driving her crazy. Re-Nee didn't have a clue about what Jay was talking about._

_In response, Jay abruptly stood up and paced the room. "Amber's pregnant."_

"_That's good news…" Re-Nee began but was cut off. _

"_The child is mine." The words sounded flat as the escaped his mouth. Re-Nee sat in shock and Jay gave a hollow laugh. "That's what I thought. I didn't believe her at first. It just couldn't be possible."_

_Jay sat back down next to Re-Nee. "What am I going to do? I can't just forget I've fathered a child, but I can't expect to be in the baby's life, not that Bray would let me."_

"_Oh Jay," Re-Nee sighed. "And here I thought you were upset about some snide remark Bray might have made to you." Re-Nee sat and thought for a while. "No matter your choice about being in the baby's life or not, you'll have to tell Bray the truth sooner or later."_

"_I know." The two sat in silence for a while before Jay spoke again. "I see that I interrupted your bed time, so I'll see you tomorrow." They stood up and headed towards the door. "Thanks for listening to me. I really need that." Jay leaned forward and gave her a hug. They separated only enough to look each other in the eye._

"_It's not a problem. I'm always here if you need me." The last part came out in a whisper. More that ever, Re-Nee wished she had the courage to lean up and taste those full lips of his._

"_I'll keep that in mind," he whispered back. Re-Nee didn't need the courage because Jay took the first step. He tasted just like coconuts and bananas, the exact ingredients to that night's desert, and his unfamiliar scent washed over her. Breathing deep, she tried to recognize and memorize the smell._

_Jay pulled her closer and Re-Nee seemed to fit even better in his arms. Neither wanted the kiss to end, but finally they had to break apart. Each gulped in air as they looked at the other. Without saying a word, their lips made contact again. Re-Nee reached behind Jay and locked the door. Both knew how the night would end. Picking her up, Jay headed towards the bed._

_Gently laying her down, they both forgot about what brought Jay there. They forgot the fact that they barely knew each other. They forgot about all the people who would object to this union._

Jay moaned as he laid back against his bed. He had left her room before she had awakened, only after watching her sleep for a couple of hours.

Giving up on his thoughts, Jay got under the covers and prepared himself for a restless night.

* * *

Jay wasn't the only one who had a restless night. Re-Nee awakened feeling as if she hadn't slept in weeks. _What was I thinking? It was only one night. It probably didn't mean anything to him. I was his way to forget about the news of Amber's pregnancy._

Climbing out of bed, Re-Nee got dressed. It was still hours before dawn, so no one else was up yet. No one except a blonde who was busy stuffing her face. "Oh…" Amber said, quickly hiding the food. "Did I wake you?"

Re-Nee didn't know what to do or say. Finally, she finished coming into the kitchen. "No need to hide the food," she said. "And you didn't wake me. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get an early start on the day."

Amber sheepishly smiled and put the food in front of her again. "I understand not being able to sleep. I don't think I've been able to sleep more than four hours a night since the virus hit. I hope its okay that I'm eating this," she said, holding up a can of cherry pie filling.

"Don't worry about it. You're eating for two," Re-Nee realized her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth. _Think of something! Think of something to say! To explain what I know._

"How did you know?" Amber asked. She put her fork down and smoothed the shirt covering her stomach, checking to make sure she wasn't showing yet.

"Oh…" Re-Nee said, waving her hand. "I've spent the last nine months helping Cloe with her pregnancy. I easily picked up on the symptoms."

Amber gave a small laugh. "I forgot about that. Do you need any help?" Amber asked as she noticed Re-Nee starting to cook breakfast.

"Oh…sure." The two seemed to work together perfectly. Neither bumped into the other as they went around the kitchen finding the things they would need for breakfast. They were even able to joke around without feeling uncomfortable.

Re-Nee was finishing the eggs when she began to hear movement in the bedrooms above her head. Everyone was in their chairs by the time Amber and her had put all the food on the table.

Instead of sitting down with everybody, Re-Nee took her plate and headed outside. There was a cool ocean breeze and she let it ruffle through her hair before sitting down. Setting her plate down, she stared out across her family island.

* * *

Jay watched as Re-Nee walked out the door. He knew she was giving him the cold shoulder, but he didn't really know what he had done wrong. Shaking his head, he looked back down at his plate.

His gaze didn't go unnoticed. Amber had been watching him ever since he had entered the room, curious as how he would react. They hadn't talked since she had told him the news, but she knew they would have to sooner or… sooner.

She was going to start showing soon and she wanted Bray to know before she did. He deserved to know, especially if they were going to continue their relationship. Things had gotten back to normal quicker than she thought they would. If she had to guess why, it was because everyone knew they belonged together and didn't interfere.

Amber returned to the present and continued to watch Jay. He was picking at his food, barely eating anything and mostly just moving his food around on his plate. Every once in a while he would discreetly look up to see what Re-Nee was doing.

_What is going on between those two? Could he possible feel something for her?_ Amber wasn't surprised. Re-Nee seemed just like the type Jay would fall for. She was a strong-willed, leader type that took control when needed to.

The longer Amber watched Jay, the more she began to feel jealous. Not necessarily for her, but for her child. What would happen to this baby? Would Jay completely ignore their child? Although the questions passed through Amber's mind, she knew she was being unfair. Jay wasn't the type to just ignore a child. He had done an excellent job to help raise Bray Jr. and he still continued to play with him.

Jay finally placed his fork down, without eating a bite. "Is everything okay?" asked Cloe. Jay looked up at her and smiled.

"I'm fine. I guess I'm not hungry." Standing up, he said, "I think I'm going to go check on the boat." He picked up his plate and took it to the kitchen. Walking out the front door, he made his way to the beach.

At that moment, Tina looked out the window. Sitting on the picnic table was Re-Nee's plate, but Re-Nee was nowhere in sight. Exchanging looks with Cloe, they agreed to talk later.

Ved finished his breakfast and stood up. "I think Jay's got a good idea. If we get started now, we can finish putting the wood on the boat. Then all we got to do is get it running again." Bending down, his kissed Cloe and then ran out after his brother.

The others nodded and followed to do the same. Lex quickly jumped up and asked if they needed any help. He desperately needed to get out of house duty. Had Re-Nee been there, she would have instantly told him he was needed here, but since she wasn't, Lex took advantage of it. Bray told Lex that he could tag along and the women were left alone.

Cloe dismissed everyone else and Tina and her got busy cleaning the kitchen. As soon as they were alone, Cloe asked, "What is going on with Re-Nee?" Tina stopped what she was doing and looked at Cloe. Both laughed at each other, realizing that they were thinking the same thing.

"You noticed it too?" Tina asked, turning back to washing the dishes. Cloe grabbed a dish towel, ready to dry the plates as they were handed to her. "She was so distant from everybody. I was reminded of when we first touched the island," Tina stated.

"I've never seen her that way. By the time Ved and I landed, she was the outgoing leader. But that's not what bothers me the most," Cloe said. "She didn't eat a thing, not a single piece of food hit her mouth. She knows how important it is to eat. We're always hearing about how she believes you should eat a meal no matter if you're hungry or not."

"'Who knows when you'll eat you're next meal,'" both girls chimed, trying to do their best expression of their leader. After a couple of seconds, Cloe turned serious again. "Do you think she's upset about her break-up with Bray?"

Tina shook her head. "Nah. She got that out of her system during that storm. This is something new. Someone or something has hurt her feelings. I just don't know what it is." The girls grew quiet and finished their work. As they were leaving the room, Cloe stopped Tina.

"Well, whatever it is, she'll come to us when she's ready." Tina nodded her head and the two separated to join their significant other.


	16. Celebration

Chapter 16- Celebration

Re-Nee sat on the beach, letting the water curl around her toes. She didn't know why she was letting him get to her this way. Never did she let Bray make her feel like a sulking teenager, which is exactly what she felt like right now.

So, Jay didn't want more than a one night stand. Who cared? She did. After what had happened that night, she laid in Jay's arms and dreamt. Again, she saw the little blonde girl who sat her in lap. This time, she was able to recognize the voice. It had been Jay. Never did she dream of having a family with Bray, but after only a few months with Jay, that's all she wanted.

Picking up a seashell, Re-Nee threw it into the oncoming waves. Well, she could act just as cold as him. If he wanted to act as if it didn't happen, then so could she.

Re-Nee heard laughter behind her and turned to see Ebony smirking at her. "What do you want?"

"He's caught you into his trap," Ebony said, crossing her arms.

Re-Nee shook her head and turned back to the ocean. "I don't know what you are talking about." Ebony ignored the dismissal and sat down next to the sulking blonde.

"What did he do? Whisper sweet promises into your ear? Kiss you like there was no tomorrow? I know the look Jay puts on a woman's face. Plus, I saw the way he kept looking at you during breakfast."

Ebony watched as a flicker of hope spread across the girl's face, but was pleased at how quickly Re-Nee hid it. Again, the blonde said that she didn't know what Ebony was talking about.

Ebony shrugged her shoulders. "Don't admit it, but you won't be able to convince anyone in there. They've all fallen for his charm and know when others have too."

Ebony continued to sit while Re-Nee got up. Looking down at her, the blonde said, "I don't want to talk about it. Period." Feeling that Ebony finally got the point, Re-Nee walked away, making sure not to go near the house. She wasn't ready to go back there. Not just yet.

* * *

The guys returned by mid-afternoon. All were sweat-soaked, but huge grins were plastered to their faces. Even Jay had left his moping at the beach. Quickly showering, they gathered all the women into the living room. Re-Nee was just entering the door when Ved started to explain why all the guys had huge grins.

"Perfect timing," he called to the blonde. She walked into the living room and asked, "Perfect timing for what?" Picking up Johnny from the couch, she placed him in her lap.

"All the guys came in with huge grins on their faces," Danni explained. "Ved was about to explain why."

"Well Ved?" Re-Nee asked. "What is it?"

"Drum roll please?" he asked dramatically. Everyone groaned "out with it already" and Ved held up his hands. "Okay, okay," he said. "The boat has been rebuilt." Everyone fell silent and looked at the guys suspiciously, Ebony worse of all.

"You're lying," she said in disbelief. She wanted off the island so bad, she could taste it. The truth didn't want to sink in.

"No, we're not," Bray said. "We just nailed the last piece on, just a few minutes ago. Now all that needs to be done is to work on the mechanics part."

"And that's where I step in," Guy said. "I'll start tomorrow."

Everyone reacted different. Mouse and Brady began to dance around the room. "We're going to leave soon. We're going to leave soon," they cried as they twirled in circles. Trudy and Ellie instantly started to talk about what would happen if they actually could get the boat running. Salene felt an instant fear. Tina had yet to talk to her about what they were going to do about Michael. _What is going to happen?_ she asked herself.

Tina looked up at Salene and felt the same fear. Tina knew what she needed to do. Now she just needed to get the courage to talk to Salene. Tina looked over at Michael, who had joined Brady and Mouse's dance. _I hope that you know I'll always love you._

Finally, Re-Nee stood up. When Ved spoke those words, shock instantly took over her. She was so unsure what was going to happen next. Raising her fingers to her lips, she let out a whistle that would have stopped any dog. It had the exact same effect on the people around her.

"Well, this is good news," she said. "And it also calls for a party. I suggest we throw a feast three days from now. That way we could gather the stuff we'd need." Everyone voiced their agreement. Leaving everyone to their planning, Re-Nee left the living room and walked up to the bedroom. She had a lot of planning of her own.

* * *

Before anyone noticed, two days had passed. Guy was having a tough time trying to figure out what was keeping the boat from running. Not only that, the weather was never on his side. The mornings started out cool enough, but by noon, the heat drove everyone inside. Three times within the past two days, sudden showers poured down, keeping Guy inside longer than he wished.

"I hope this weather will settle," he said to Danni as they sat in their room. Guy laid on the bed while Danni stood at the window. Leaning against the balcony door way, she watched as the latest storm poured down rain.

"But we do need it. With that heat drying up the land, these little storms help some. But then again, too much rain will cause another flood." Danni felt restless. The weather had kept her in the house. Everywhere she went, she bumped into Ebony. Just the sight of her made Danni cringe.

Danni couldn't explain why Ebony affected her so, but whatever it was, it left a nasty after taste in her mouth. Shaking her head, she walked away from the window. After pacing a few minutes, she returned to the window. Guy noticed and walked up behind Danni.

"What is it?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her. Danni leaned back and rested her head against his shoulder. At first, she shook her head, not wanting to tell him what was wrong. After a little pressure, she finally opened up.

"I'm just restless. There are just too many people in this house. Every time I turn around, I bump into someone and it's driving me crazy! I've gotten use to the solitude." She turned around in Guy's arms and looked up at the man she had fallen in love with.

"That's not all though," Guy responded. "No, don't argue, I know you well enough to know that's not all." Danni continued to shake her head. "Well, if you don't want to speak to me about it, then talk to Re-Nee."

"HA!" Danni cried as she pulled away from Guy. "Like she has any time for me. She's either moping or hanging out with Ebony. I don't understand it!" she yelled. In the last two days, Re-Nee had only been seen talking to Ebony. Yes, the conversations had been short and usually Re-Nee marched away glowering, but Danni was still upset that Re-Nee didn't find the need to talk to her. "How can she like her? Ebony's evil and my cousin is becoming best friends with her."

Guy shook his head in disbelief. Danni was so reasonable on most things, but this unwavering hatred for Ebony was childish. "Maybe Ebony has changed. I haven't seen any plotting or planning being done by her. It's time to let that rest in the past."

Danni angrily turned on him. "You've fallen under her spell!" she screamed. "I thought that at least I could count on you to see who she truly is, but I was wrong. She'll make you regret you trusted her." Stalking out of the room, Danni left Guy utterly confused.

Not wanting to try and figure her mind out, Guy left the room to find something to do while waiting for the rain to stop.

* * *

Tina finally found Salene down in the kitchen. She knocked lightly on the door frame. Startled, Salene turned around. "Oh!" she sighed as she placed her hand against her chest. When Tina didn't say anything, she asked, "Was there something you wanted to say?"

Tina nodded her head. "I think we need to talk. Why don't we get some privacy? No one should be up on my floor. We could go to my room." Salene nodded her head and the two walked upstairs. While Salene was getting comfortable in one of the chairs in Tina's room, Tina walked over to her closet. She pulled out the box that Luke had placed all of Michael's baby belongings in.

Once she placed it on the bed, Tina sighed. Opening up the box, she pulled out the blanket, never noticing the ring box that fell to the bottom of the larger cardboard box. "Here," she handed it to Salene. "This is what Michael was brought to me in." Tina didn't try to fight the tears that rolled down her face. Salene burst into tears as soon as her fingers touched the piece of cloth.

"I swear," Tina promised, "had I known that you were his mother, I would have found a way to give him back to you. It hurts so much that I've got to say good-bye to him. I… I love him so much. Never did I think I could love someone so much.

"But you were right. You are his mother and he deserves to know. I just don't think he'd understand!" Salene got up and sat next to Tina. Grabbing her hand, Salene said, "Maybe we could work something out. We could ease into this situation. I know how much he loves you. I couldn't take him completely out of your life.

"At one time, Trudy tried to make sure I had no contact with Brady, but I like to think she realized that I could help her raise Brady. Times have changed since the virus first hit, and I know I could use some help."

Tina looked at Salene. "Do you really mean it?" Salene only nodded her head and Tina pulled her into a hug. "So?" Salene asked, "Do you have anything else of Michael's past? I'd really like to see it." Tina laughed and began to rummage through the box. The two spent the next three hours talking about Michael and everything that had happened in his short three years of life.

* * *

Re-Nee sat in the playroom with the children. It was the only thing that kept her mind off of Jay. She was still mad as hell at him, but at night, she yearned for him. Shaking her head at her own foolishness, Re-Nee turned back to the book Michael was trying to read to her.

Mouse was sitting in the corner trying to teach Bray Jr. how to play patty-cake. Baby Bray couldn't quite understand the fact that he was suppose to slap Mouse's hand. He giggled as Mouse playfully grew frustrated. "You've got to hit my hand," she teased as she reached out and tickled Bray Jr. His giggles grew louder.

Johnny and Brady sat in the corner that had a small table. Most of the time, it was used for coloring and finger painting. Today though, Johnny and Brady had opted to practice some math problems. "Two can go into eight… four times," Brady said. Johnny nodded his head and turned back to his problem.

Cloe happened to walk by the room and saw Re-Nee hiding. "There you are!" she cried as she came into the room. "You seem to continually disappear on us. Tina wanted to talk to you about something, on top of talking to you about what food to offer for the party."

Cloe sat down next to her friend. Michael moved from Re-Nee's lap to Cloe's lap. He held up the book to show her. She nodded her head and turned back to Re-Nee. "Trudy and Ellie came up to me too. They wanted to know if you had some spare clothing they could use for the party. They wanted to dress up, you know. I said you did, but they'd have to see if you had a problem with them using them."

Cloe continued, not noticing that Re-Nee wasn't paying attention. "Do we want to have it in the living room? I figure we could move the furniture. Plus, the better radio is already down there, so it'll be easier." Finally realizing none of her questions were being answered, Cloe looked at her friend. Re-Nee was staring over at Johnny and Brady.

"Are you even listening to me?" Cloe asked. "Hello?" she teased as she waved her hand in front of Re-Nee's face. Finally, her eyes focused and Re-Nee turned. "Huh? What?"

Cloe laughed and shook her head. "You didn't hear a word I said. Are you okay? Do you want to talk about something?" Re-Nee just shook her head.

"I'm fine," she said, scratching her head. "Now you said something about Tina wanting to talk to me? I guess I'd better go find her. As for the party… I'll leave you in charge of that. Do whatever."

"What about the clothes?" Cloe yelled as Re-Nee left the room. Stopping, Re-Nee poked her head back into the play room. "I don't care. Let them use them." Cloe nodded her head and turned back to Michael. It looked like he had gain another victim in his need to read the book he found.

* * *

Re-Nee found Tina in the kitchen with Salene. Both were laughing as they cut up the vegetables that would be used in tonight's dinner. Re-Nee was unsure if she should disturb them. Finally, she cleared her throat. The two girls turned, each with a carrot in their hand. "I hope that I'm not disturbing anything," she said as she walked into the room.

"Not at all," Tina said. "I was just telling Salene about the time Johnny and Michael ran away." Turning back to Salene, Tina said, "They were so mad at us, all because they couldn't have a cookie. Johnny claimed he hated it here and claimed that he was running away. Michael agreed and off they went to pack."

"Didn't you try to stop them?" Salene asked. She tossed the cut up carrot in the boiling pot and grabbed another one.

"I wanted to grab Michael up and never let him leave the house. Re-Nee wouldn't let me." Tina and Salene turned to look at Re-Nee.

"Hey!" she cried as she threw her hands up. "I wanted them to learn a lesson. I told them if they wanted to leave, that was fine, BUT they couldn't expect us to let them take any food or belongings that weren't already on their backs. Since I was the owner of the house, all things inside belong to me, so they had no rights to them."

Salene stood spellbound. "I remember running away once. I stayed gone for a couple of days before I realized that I really didn't know what I was doing. How long were they gone?"

"No where near that. Two hours later, there was a knock on the door. Michael and Johnny had returned. They were sorry for running away and were hungry. They begged us for food and to let them back in the tribe.

"I took Johnny aside later," Re-Nee said, coming to the end of the story, "and told him that it wasn't ok to run away just because he didn't get his way."

"And I told Michael about the whole 'If someone told you to jump off a bridge…' story. I don't think it did much, but then again, he was only two." Salene laughed. Re-Nee waved Tina over and they walked out of Salene's ear-shot.

"So? Everything okay?" Re-Nee asked. Tina only smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."

"We've come to an agreement," Tina said nodding. Re-Nee wrapped her friend into a hug. "I'm glad. If there's anything you still want to talk about…" Re-Nee trailed off.

"I know… I know. I can always talk to you. Now. Leave me alone. I've got to finish dinner," Tina teased as she waved Re-Nee out of the kitchen. Re-Nee laughed. "Ok… ok. You don't have to tell me twice! It smells good by the way."

"It better!" Salene said. "We've been working on it for a while now."

* * *

The next night was upon them before they knew it. As the music began to flow and the food spilled out of the kitchen, everyone began to let loose. They forgot their differences as they celebrated the fact that the boat was almost finished and they were one step closer to leaving the island.

Each person took this as an opportunity to get fancied up, especially the girls. Twirling skirts filled the air as they danced their way around the living room. Even Amber had shed her pants and found a beautiful blue skirt that wouldn't show anything that she wasn't ready to explain. The guys looked as handsome as ever. All wore fancier shirts, but their typical pants made them look casual. Everyone was trying new things with their tribal paintings. Some people had gone back to an old look, like Lex with the black lines dripping from his eyes. Others tried something new, like Ellie, who had lavender and pink swirls sprouting from the outside tip of her right eye.

The living room looked like a junior high dance. The guys all stood in a corner, complimenting each other on a job well done. Every once in a while, one would look up and watch the girl of his dreams. The girls were having the time of their lives. They were dancing and joking, relaxing from not having to worry about the kids or life itself.

Re-Nee had volunteered to put the kids to bed. It had been a struggle, since they wanted to join the party. Re-Nee promised to throw them one tomorrow, but tonight was only for the adults. Finally, the kids agreed and fell asleep.

Now, Re-Nee sat in front of her mirror, putting the finishing touches on her outfit. Her blonde hair was a pile of curls atop her head. A few short strands had fallen to frame her face. A red ribbon peaked through, teasing someone to try and pull it out. Her red shirt ended a few inches below her bust and had long flowing sleeves. Her short skirt fit her body perfectly. Each had a matching slash of patchwork, giving the outfit an innocent yet temptress feel. It was something Zandra would be proud of.

Standing up, Re-Nee ran a hand down her skirt. _I can do this_, she thought. Re-Nee wasn't one to act or dress frivolously. That was something Cloe did. Instead, Re-Nee was practical and sensible. She dressed ready to work, be it watching the kids or dragging in firewood. Today was different. Today, she felt the need to do something unusual.

Entering the living room, she felt like she had made a big mistake. Everyone stopped to see her enter. _Of course,_ she thought, _the music has to stop as soon as I enter._ Taking a deep breath, she said, "This is a party! Why isn't anyone dancing?" Walking over to the boys, she grabbed Luke's hand.

This changed the mood. Suddenly, the guys walked over to the girls and grabbed someone's hand. Cloe suddenly had an evil thought. "Ved?" she asked, getting his attention. She loved being in his arms, but she felt the need to act on the plan that had just formed.

"What's up?" he asked, looking at her. He couldn't get over the fact that every time he looked at his wife, he got butterflies. Big, tough, Techno Ved was nothing but a baby anytime this Mallrat virt came anywhere close to him.

"I want you to dance with Trudy." Ved stopped twirling Cloe around the dance floor. A confused look was plastered onto his face. "Look," she said, pointing, "Trudy is completely ignoring Lex, trying to stay as far away from him as possible. Lex, on the other hand, is trying to find a way to get her to dance. Now, here's my plan…" Cloe said, pulling Ved close to whisper in his ear. By the end, Ved had a huge smile on his face. _That's my little plotter,_ he thought.

Untangling himself, he made his way towards Trudy. She was sitting with Salene, keeping a close eye on Lex. So lost in her own world, she never saw or heard Ved approach. Salene, on the other hand, did. "Hey Ved! What's up?" When Salene spoke, Trudy turned her eyes towards Ved.

"Well," he said, "Trudy's the only one who hasn't danced tonight. I'm here to whisk her away." Ved offered his hand to Trudy. "Well?" he asked.

"That's not necessary," she said, throwing her hands up to ward him off. She realized her mistake when Ved grabbed them. "Sure it is," he said, pulling her to her feet. "Plus, I know you've been dying to grill me over how I treat Cloe. Now's the perfect time."

Trudy knew she wouldn't win the fight with him, so she conceded. Following him out to the dance floor, she had the overwhelming need to kill Salene, who yelled "Have fun out there!"

Cloe was busy putting her own part of her plan into action. Lex was busy twirling Tina around the dance floor, so she walked right up to them. Tapping Tina on the shoulder, she said, "It's my turn." Tina bowed out and Lex took Cloe into his arms.

"You've certainly grown into a… umh umh," he ended, clearing his throat. "Into a young lady. Where's lover boy?" Cloe turned them so Lex would see Trudy dancing with Ved. "Oh! I just didn't understand why Trudy wasn't dancing, so Ved asked her." Inwardly, Cloe laughed at the look Lex was sending them.

"What's the matter Lex? You look ready to kill Ved and I really rather you didn't." _Time for the kill,_ she thought. "There isn't anything going on between Trudy and you, is there? I thought you couldn't stand her." Cloe innocently fluttered her eyelids.

Lex rushed to say something, like usual. "There's nothing going on between us. Me fancy her? You've lost your mind." Lex quieted down as he continued to twirl Cloe around. He didn't realize that the entire time he had been moving closer and closer to Ved and Trudy.

When they were finally within inches of the other couple, Ved said, "Now it's my turn to dance with my wife. Here," he said, pushing Trudy towards Lex. "Keep her dancing." Trudy threw her arms up to brace herself. She had the sinking feeling that the only reason Ved had danced with her was so he could pass her off to Lex. Her thoughts were confirmed when Ved and Cloe shared a knowing smirk.

Turning back to her capturer, she said, "You can let me go now. I won't fall or anything." Trudy was shocked, although she should have expected it, when Lex slowly shook his head. _He wouldn't do anything in front of all these people, would he?_

"You heard Ved," Lex said, "I've got to keep you dancing." By now, the music had turned to a slow dance. Lex slowly took the opportunity to pull Trudy closer. He felt her body shiver under the palms of his hands. _Nervousness or something else?_ he asked himself.

Trudy couldn't believe that Lex had such an effect on her. Her mind screamed for her to hit him until he released her, but her body automatically moved further into his arms. She didn't object as his hand began to caress the bare skin at the small of her back.

On the other side of the room, Re-Nee was trying to do her own avoiding. She had danced with Luke and Guy and now was trying to hide. She had done pretty well until she had gotten hungry. Like everyone else, she hadn't eaten lunch or dinner because she knew the food at the party would be delicious. Thinking she was safe, she walked over to the table to grab something to eat. As she picked up a couple of grapes, the person she had been avoiding found her.

"We need to talk," he said, bending to whisper into her ear. Re-Nee couldn't believe that the mere sound of his voice could set her insides on fire. Taking a deep breath, she turned around to face him.

"There's nothing to talk about. What's done is done. You wanted to forget about your talk with Amber and I let things get out of control. Now, if you'll excuse me," she said, trying to push her way around him.

"You don't know what you are talking about. Just listen to me!" Jay exclaimed. There was almost a hint of desperation to his voice. When Re-Nee still tried to walk past him, he grabbed a hold of her shoulders. "Would you stop and listen to me?"

"Why should I?" Re-Nee screamed. Neither paid attention that everyone around them had stopped to watch what was going on. "You've had plenty of time to talk to me in the last _three_ days and not a single word had crossed those lips. I know exactly why you came to me that night. Leave well enough alone!"

Frustration coursed through Jay. _Is she really this hard-headed?_ he thought. He badly wanted to shake her, hoping some sense would sink in. "I didn't sleep with you because I wanted to forget Amber is pregnant with my child. I did it because I haven't thought about anything but you and those damned legs since I landed on this island."


	17. Aftermath

Chapter 17- Aftermath

Jay's voice echoed through the silent room. No one knew where to look. Trudy stared between Jay, Amber and Bray. Bray looked ready to kill someone, while Amber eyes pleaded for Bray to just listen to her. Jay's attention was focused on the shocked blonde in front of him, not even noticing everyone now knew his secrets.

Bray, not able to stand looking at anyone, marched out of the room. Amber started to follow, but at the last moment, she ran out of the room in the opposite direction. Trudy ran after her, knowing that her friend really needed her. For some reason, she looked at Lex before leaving. He just nodded his head, as if to say, 'go comfort her'.

_What am I doing?_ She yelled at herself. _I don't need HIS permission._ Shaking her head, she put her own thoughts aside. Right now, she couldn't worry about her own life. Amber was going to need her too much.

Ebony leaned against Slade and crossed her arms. _This is getting interesting_, she thought as she crossed her arms. Her customary smirk crept onto her face. She knew something had been bothering Re-Nee lately and she had hoped that it was men problems, but Ebony had never expected this. The only thing that soured Ebony's happy thoughts was the Amber was pregnant with Jay's child. _That should have been my child!_

Slade wrapped his arms around her, as if sensing Ebony was thinking evil thoughts.That's why she loved him. He knew her better than she probably knew herself. He was better than any child her and Jay could have created. Turning her attention back to the fighting blondes, she heard Re-Nee say, "This is not something that should be discussed in front of everybody."

Embarrassment and shock were still showing on her face. Before Jay could respond or act, Re-Nee walked past him and up to her room. Everyone heard her door slam and knew she had locked the door. No one would be able to talk or comfort her.

Jay felt like the biggest fool. He wasn't one to lose his temper, but something about Re-Nee made him forget he had control of his emotions. He so badly wanted to walk up those stairs and pound on her door. This conversation wasn't over yet and he really wanted to finish it. He stood there a second, debating what he would do. Finally, he walked out the front door, not giving anyone a single glance.

Knowing the drama was over for at least the night, everyone separated and headed towards their rooms. Tina and Cloe stayed behind to clean up the food and to talk of the change in events. "I should have known!" Tina cried. "I should have known when I asked her about those sheets! What is going on through her mind? She's never this reckless or…or…"

"Stupid?" Cloe supplied.

"Yeah…stupid," Tina repeated, as if making sure that 'stupid' was the right word. "What was she thinking? She barely knows the guy. Was she just trying to get revenge on Bray?"

Cloe shook her head. "Now, does that really sound like our straight-forward leader? Plus, even you said that she was over Bray."

"Maybe I was wrong. Love can do strange things to a person. You didn't get to see how Luke acted when Guy was after me. You would have been shocked."

Cloe thoughtfully stared out in space as she finished washing the dishes. Finally, she said, "Look, we'll never figure this out until we talk to her and she won't let anything out until she wants us to know. I really need to go calm down Ved. He looked ready to kill his brother. I just want to know what was going through Jay's mind." Placing the last dish down, Cloe started out of the kitchen.

Tina followed her out. "You're right. I guess I should check on Luke. He didn't look too happy either. Hopefully Guy can keep Bray settled until the morning."

* * *

Cloe shook off sleepiness as she stretched. After leaving Tina, she squared her shoulders and marched into her room. As she suspected, Ved was angrier than a bull seeing red. After several minutes of hushed screams, Cloe finally had Ved calm enough to go to bed. Of course, Josh decided it was time for his middle-of-the-night feeding. Cloe was beyond exhausted by the time she fell asleep. 

Turning over, Cloe tried to cuddle closer to Ved. Slight problem though - he was missing. Jumping out of bed, Cloe ran out of her room and into the living room. There she found Danni cleaning up the rest of last night's mess.

"Have you seen Ved?" Cloe asked frantically. Ved was known to act foolishly and Cloe knew that was exactly what he was going to do if he caught up with his brother. Danni noticed the worried look on Cloe's face.

"He said he needed some fresh air to calm his nerves. I tired to dissuade him, but he wouldn't listen." Cloe grew a little more worried. "Don't worry," Danni said, in hopes that she could calm her friend. "He wouldn't do something too stupid."

* * *

It was easy to locate Jay. As kids, Jay always ran to places that would calm him. Since arriving on the island, Jay had spent a lot of time on the hill that Re-Nee had been on when she first heard about the approaching boat. 

Jay quickly turned as he heard footstep behind him. Jay threw his hands up and began to say, "I was stu…"

"You jackass!" Ved yelled as he pulled back his fist. Jay staggered back due to the blow Ved had delivered. Jay recovered his balance and began to rub his jaw. "I guess I deserve that," he whispered.

This irritated Ved even more. "Is that all you've got to say? What the hell is your problem? What were you thinking? You were always one to believe in true love and here you are messing with everything in a skirt. First, you get Amber pregnant and now you're going after Re-Nee. You didn't even trust her in the beginning. You better have hoped you used protection."

Jay only looked down at the ground. Ved pulled back his arm to hit his brother again. This time, Jay stopped him. "I allowed the first one, but that's all you're going to get. It's not like I planned on it happening. It just did, ok?"

Ved relaxed his arm and pulled it away. Rotating his wrist a few times, Ved sat down. "What are you going to do, then?"

Jay sat down next to his brother and placed his head in his hands. Finally, he looked up and said, "Believe it or not, I don't know. Before you get upset, let me speak.

"I'm not going to pretend that the baby's not mine. Mom and Dad taught us better than that." Ved looked a little guilty, but Jay continued on with his thoughts. "I just don't have a place in Amber's life anymore. Friends, maybe. I think that's all we've ever been. I just hope Bray can understand that it all happened when we thought he was dead."

"And Re-Nee?" Ved asked when Jay stopped speaking. "She deserves the best. She deserves more than a one night stand. She looked after people when she could have told them to march back on the boat they came in on and sail away. We'll get that boat running again. What are you going to do, Jay?"

Jay stood up and placed his hands in his pockets. "What I did was stupid. I've thought a lot about it. We let things get out of hand. I'm not ready for a relationship and neither is she. Ved, it was only going to be a one night stand." It wasn't what Jay wanted but she didn't seem to want more.

Ved stood up and turned to leave. He just couldn't understand his brother right now. At the party, it seemed like Jay was fighting for a relationship, but now he was saying that that night meant nothing to him. After taking a few steps, Ved turned back to his brother. "For your sake, Re-Nee better not end up hurt. You won't only have to deal with me then."

* * *

"This is what writers live off of!" Ellie exclaimed to Jack. "The drama! The scandals! The lies! Two leaders of tribes that accidentally come together fall for in love. Will there be a merger? Who will leave this island?" Ellie stopped and looked at Jack. "Are you even listening to me?" she asked. 

"Yeah…yeah," he said distractedly. "Love, mergers, scandals. I got it." Ellie had been going non-stop since last night. Jack was only able to escape when they fell asleep last night. Now, he was trying to figure out what was taking Guy so long to fix the boat. After a few minutes of silence, Jack's words sank into his head. Turning to look at Ellie, he began to apologize.

Both were saved from saying anything when there was a knock on the door. Jack rushed to open it. "Oh… hey Guy!" Jack said.

"I hope I'm not disturbing anything," Guy said, looking at Ellie, "but I was wondering if I could borrow Jack for a while." Turning to Jack, Guy continued to talk. "Ved's already downstairs and I figured the three of us could try and figure out what's wrong with the boat."

Excitement grew on Jack's face. "I was just thinking about that." Following Guy down the stairs, Jack rattled off ideas. "I figured it's something electrical. Maybe the water effected…" Jack voice grew fainter as walked away from the room. Ellie threw her hands up. She'd just have to talk to Jack later about ignoring her.

* * *

Amber had been awake all night. Tears coursed down her cheek as she laid on her bed. Bray Jr. knew something was wrong, so he too had been restless. He was whinny and continually wanted to be held. Amber just laid in bed, as if she didn't hear him fussing. 

Trudy wasn't sure what she should do or say. She alternated between rubbing her friend's back and trying to calm Bray Jr. Trudy tried to whisper comforting words, but they fell on deaf ears.

Around dawn, Amber's tears finally stop traveling down her cheeks. She was completely dry. No tear could form, although she felt like crying. Bray Jr. finally nodded off in Trudy's arms. Walking ever so slowly to the crib, Trudy placed him in it. She watched him a few moments before turning back to her friend.

Sitting beside her on the bed, Trudy placed her hand on Amber's back. "This is what it feels like, isn't it?" Amber whispered. "This is what you and Salene and Ebony must have felt like when Bray chose me. You knew you had no right to him, but you didn't want anyone else to have him."

"Let Jay go. Trust me on this one. You don't want to ruin things with Bray. If he feels betrayed or feels that you are betraying someone he cares for, he'll dump you before you could even blink." Trudy moved over to give Amber some room as she sat up.

"I'm over him." Trudy looked at her doubtfully. "I really am. Things have…they're different now. Bray won't even talk to me now. I'm carrying Jay's child. I love Bray with all my heart, but Jay's such a good man…"

"Stop thinking that way!" Trudy said. She stood up and began to pace the room. "You and Bray were meant to be together. Don't you see that? This is just another obstacle in the two of your lives. You found each other after your 'death'. You overcame Ebony, Sasha, Salene, Pride and me. You overcame his 'death'. Now, you will overcome the stresses that will happen when you are having a child that isn't fathered by the man you are with."

Trudy stopped and looked at her friend. "You and Jay were never meant to be. Even you told me that sometimes you didn't feel like there was chemistry, that he was no Bray. I told you it was tough to get over a first love, but sometimes you just had to move on. Well, you have found your first love again. Why would you want second best?"

Amber placed her hands on her stomach. "Do you think he'll talk to me again? He looked so mad. He just marched out of that room. He looked so hurt."

Trudy came back over to the bed and sat down. Placing her arm around Amber's shoulders, she said, "He'll give you a chance to explain. Bray just needs some time to cool off. Bray and Jay have got some macho thing going on right now. Things are going to hit the fan, but Bray will talk to you."

Amber leaned her head against Trudy's shoulder. "Thanks Trud. You should follow your own advice. Stop settling for second best and find that perfect guy."

Deep inside herself, Trudy felt some stirring. She desperately tried to push it down, but it seemed to continue to boil higher inside her. Putting all her strength behind her mental push, the feeling crawled back to its hiding place. That was one feeling she wasn't ready to acknowledge.

* * *

Bray stood down by the beach. So many emotions were twirling through him. He had been so happy to see Amber again and to see his baby boy. He felt some guilt over the way things ended with Re-Nee. He felt fear over what the future held, especially when it came to the boat. Finally, he felt anger over anything and everything that concerned Jay.

No one but himself should father any child that from of Amber. They were soul mates. They were meant to be. Hadn't it been proven over and over again? _Why didn't Amber wait a little while longer?_ Bray asked himself.

_You can't blame her. You didn't wait too long before getting together with Danni,_ the reasonable side snickered.

_Well,_ the other side argued back,_ who does Jay think he is? Is it his mission to sleep with every girl he sees? Isn't it good enough that he played with Ebony's heart, then Trudy's? Isn't good enough that he got Amber pregnant? Does he have to move on to Re-Nee?_

Bray threw the stone he had been holding into the water. It bounced once before sinking. Bray felt like that stone. Once that stone bounced off the water, hope soared. Things had to be okay because he was saved from sinking. Then gravity set in and all the hope was sucked out of him as he was sent tumbling down to a dark corner of the ocean.

Feeling disgusted with himself, Bray walked back towards the house. Amber deserved the right to explain to him. They needed the chance to try to work things out. But Bray was sure about one thing. Jay would not have anything to do with their family.

* * *

It was noon before Re-Nee exited her room. Of course, the first person she bumped into was Ebony. "What do you want?" Re-Nee asked, hoping she could escape quickly. 

"I told you," Ebony exclaimed. "All the looks and silences between you two. And you had that look… the glowing look that Jay seems to place on a woman's face. You went and tried to hide the truth from me. Tsk tsk," Ebony clucked as she shook her head. Her smirk never faltered as she watched Re-Nee's expressions.

Re-Nee shook her head in defeat and started down the stairs. "Look Ebony, I'm not in the mood. I don't want to talk about it."

Ebony followed her down the stairs. "Oh, why not?" she asked. "Are you afraid to admit that Jay's pulled you into his spell? I told you he would. Or could it be Amber? Afraid she'll try to claim Jay as her own?" Bending forward, Ebony whispered, "There are ways to make sure things don't go right in her pregnancy…"

Re-Nee turned around. "Don't even think about it!" she angrily cried. "You lay one hand on her…" Re-Nee trailed off as Ebony's laughter grew. "What's so funny?" Re-Nee demanded.

Ebony only shook her head and walked away. Before Re-Nee could do the same, Cloe and Tina descended upon her. Danni wasn't far behind.

"What were you thinking?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Was protection used?"

"How could you let him use you?"

"STOP IT!" Re-Nee finally yelled. Pushing her way through the circle they had formed around her, she turned and faced the three. "Do we have to talk about this, NOW?"

Danni immediately nodded yes, but the other girls looked down at their hands. "I guess not…" Cloe whispered. Tina nodded her head in agreement. "Just know that we're here to listen. When you're ready, of course."

Re-Nee nodded her head and turned to leave. The three girls heard the back door shut. Danni exploded. "Why didn't you make her explain? You just let her go. Aren't you worried about what happened?"

Cloe shook her head and walked away. Tina also shook her head, but stayed to face Danni. "You should know better than to try and force anything out of Re-Nee. When she's ready, she'll speak. But until then, I recommend that you don't push her." Tina started to walk towards the playroom, but turned back around to face Danni. "And don't ever think that I don't worry about her. She's the closest thing I have to a sister." Finishing her sentence, Tina walked out of the room.


	18. The Truth Can Hurt

Disclaimer: Same as Before

A/N: Sorry Guys. I was trying to participate in NaNoWriMo, so my attentions were elsewhere. I was going to give this to y'all a few days ago, but I was having trouble getting it up on the page. I dunno... Anyways, Sorry about the wait. The next chapter is almost done too. But I want to work a little on the chapter after that before I load the next one. Enjoy!

And Thank you so much for the reviews. They do encourage me to continue. For a while there, I just wanted to trash this story. But I'm glad I didn't. Like I said, Thanks and Enjoy!

**Chapter 18- The Truth Can Hurt**

That night, everyone fended for themselves. Jay had returned shortly after Re-Nee had come downstairs. Instead of facing her, he quickly escaped to his room. Re-Nee watched him flee, forcing her tears back.

Trudy had pulled herself away from Amber about dinner time. Picking Bray Jr. up, she walked downstairs with him. Not really hungry, she grabbed a couple of pieces of fruit to share with her charge.

Within a few minutes the two had eaten and were seated in the playroom. Bray Jr. was lost in his own child-like universe as he banged wooden blocks together. Trudy leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes. Her moment of peace was ruined when Lex entered the room.

"Go away," she called, not needing to open her eyes. Somehow, her body had become attuned to his. The air seemed to sizzle whenever they were in the same room. Even now, Trudy felt the tingling that courses through her body whenever Lex was near and it was starting to make her worry.

"See?" Lex said as he leaned against the doorframe. "That's the problem with caring for someone. You have to listen to them complain about how _loverboy_ doesn't love them anymore."

Trudy gave a hollow laugh and shook her head. When she didn't stop Lex started to turn away. One of his biggest pet-peeves was to be laughed at, and he could only stand so much of it. "You know," Trudy finally said, "I think I finally understand you."

"Oh really?" Lex asked intrigued. Wanting her to continue, Lex sat down. He realized it was probably a mistake. Her scent surrounded him and her lips pulled all of his attention. When she started to speak again, he looked into her eyes.

"Yes, really. You bully and belittle people who show qualities that you hate within yourself. You're not as tough as you think you are. You did your own complaining and whining when Zandra died, when Tai-San was the Supreme Mother and then when Tai-San disappeared. You care about people just as much as I do. You're just too scared to admit it."

This time, Lex started to laugh. Trudy shifted uncomfortably on the couch. This definitely wasn't the reaction she expected. Anger, yes, even some yelling, but definitely not laughter. Trudy turned and actually saw a true smile to his face.

"I'm too scared to admit things? I guess that saying 'It takes one to know one' is true." Lex stood up and started to walk towards the doorway.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Trudy yelled as she jumped up. Lex turned and saw her standing with her arms crossed across her chest. Her eyes flashed anger as his eyes traveled over her body. Copying her, Lex crossed his arms over his chest.

"It means that you won't let a man get close to you because you're afraid of you'll enjoy any pleasure he could give you."

"That's not true!"

"Oh really?" Lex asked as he uncrossed his arms. "Prove it!" Before Trudy could respond, Lex walked out of the room. Trudy bent down and picked up a stuff animal. Standing back up, she threw the toy after Lex. It harmlessly bounced off the wall and onto the floor.

Still fuming, Trudy slumped against the couch and crossed her arms. _How dare him! Who does he think he is?

* * *

_

While Trudy and Lex were downstairs, Bray made his way upstairs. Instinctively, he crossed the hallway to his room. Inside, Amber sat on his bed with her hand nervously resting in her lap. Bray closed the door before either spoke.

"I'm sorry," Amber whispered. "I just found out. I didn't want you to find out this way."

"Why?" Bray yelled as he paced the room. "Why _him_? He's a Techno, for crying out loud! He probably lied about me being dead. He has the power to make you believe that. I'm sure about it…"

"BRAY!" Amber said as she stood up and walked to him. Grabbing his hands, she forced him to stop pacing and look at her. "I told you what happened after you were taken. I had given up all hope and had Trudy not come along when she did, I probably wouldn't be here with you now. Bray Jr. might not be here! I was devastated when I couldn't find you, and I _LOOKED_ everywhere for you.

"Jay was… is different from the other Technos. Without his help, we never would have stopped Ram. He helped me look for you. It was only after we found out that it was highly probable that I would never see you again that any romantic relationship happened. You can't blame me for moving on. You moved on. Danni and Moon and Re-Nee… Also, Bray Jr. needed a father."

"But I'm here! I'm his father!"

"I didn't say you weren't. If our roles had been reversed and you were raising Bray Jr., I'd want you to find him someone who could be a mother to him. You know how important family is to me!"

Bray walked over to the bed and sat down. His head slumped as he said, "I know. It just…I alone should be the father of any children you give birth to! You are my soul mate! We should be a family!"

"And we will be," Amber said as she sat down next to Bray, "if you still want to be one. You just have to accept that I'm pregnant with Jay's child. I love you and want to be with you, but I'm not going to give this child away."

Bray stayed silent for a moment. "I know," he finally said, "_but _I want Jay to have nothing to do with this child."

* * *

Slowly, a month passed by and tensions were high. Jack, Guy and Ved worked night and day on the boat. Nothing they did worked. That news didn't bode well with Danni or Ebony. They were constantly at each other throats. The tribes tried to keep them separated, but the two girls found their way to each other. Re-Nee was ready to throw them off a cliff and watch them drown.

The only people that seemed to get along were Salene and Tina. After spending hours together talking about what to do with Michael, they reached an understanding. Slowly they would integrate Salene into his life and when he was old enough to understand, they would tell him the truth about his birth. It was still unknown if they would stay on the island or not. Luke steadily stood by their decision and let them run things the way they felt it should be.

Trudy avoided Lex. Everything he had said had been true. Even Amber had touched on it. She was afraid to get close. That's why she went after people she knew she could never have. The problem was that she didn't want to admit that the person she loved was all wrong for her. Things could never work out between them. They fought like cats and dogs. Brady didn't need to be placed in that kind of situation.

Bray and Amber had begun to start their relationship again. Bray steadily stood by her as she spent the morning over the toilet. Every morning Amber tried to work up the courage to tell Bray that Jay deserved to have something to do with the child, but the words never came out. She let Bray control that issue and she felt weak about it. She wasn't one to let a man control her. Blaming it on hormones, she went along with Bray's decision.

Jay spent a lot of time out of the house, walking the island. No matter what he told Ved, Jay knew it wasn't true. His experience with Re-Nee was different from anything he'd ever felt. He left that morning for fear of what others would think. He didn't know what to do. What if others had found out about Amber? His reputation was steadily becoming that of a playboy. What would the others say if they saw him come out of Re-Nee's room? They'd sum it up like Ved had. They'd say he has no control over himself. And what about Re-Nee? They'd ask if she knew about Amber. Would they look down at her cause she slept with him knowing he was about to become a father? Amber and he had recently broken up. Maybe people would think that they needed to get together because of the baby. All these doubt had driven him from her room and away from the only comfort he'd truly felt in a long time.

Re-Nee spent her days keeping busy. Only Ebony would approach her snarling self. Danni, Cloe and Tina kept an eye on her, but knew she needed the space. Every time Danni saw Re-Nee stop to talk to Ebony, her jealously flared. Danni was Re-Nee's cousin and she hadn't gotten a single word from her, but Ebony could get Re-Nee to at least show a half-smile. On top of that, Danni was still angry that Tina didn't push the issue about Re-Nee's night with Jay. Everyone knew if effected Re-Nee, but no one would admit it. Re-Nee was a hard worker, but she was working herself to the bone. She was starting the look sickly and pale, even though she was spending hours out in the sun.

The children knew something was going on, but whenever they asked, the adults would smile and say nothing was wrong. The kids started to get fidgety. Fight broke out between Johnny and Mouse. Salene was at her wits ends. She knew that something had to give and at this point it would be her sanity. Tina tried to control the Surfer children, but the more time passed, the more the children acted up.

For a month the tribes thought it couldn't get any worse. They were so far down that the only way to go was up. They were wrong and were soon to find out.

* * *

Re-Nee collapsed onto the bed, slightly heaving. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't eat and the things she did eat ended up coming back up. She felt bone-tired. Sitting up, she leaned over to the point that her head bobbed between her legs. She steadily tried to take in deep breaths, but was only capable of short pants.

"Sis?" a small voice called. Re-Nee jolted up and looked towards the door. Johnny stood there, unsure if he should come in. Re-Nee stood up and walked over to her brother. "What is it?" she asked as she bent down to his height.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her into her eyes. "You need to stop," he said matter-of-factly. Re-Nee laughed at the seriousness in his voice, but Johnny continued to at her down. Re-Nee sobered and asked, "What do you mean?"

"You're working yourself too hard," he said. In an instance, Re-Nee realized how much Johnny was growing up. He was no longer the three years old she was stuck with. Now he was an intelligent boy who was worried about his sister. Re-Nee stood up and took his hand. Leading him over to the bed, the two of them sat down. Johnny instantly started talking again. "Everyone is worried. Tina says that you're going to kill yourself if you keep this up."

Re-Nee shook her head. "It's that time of year. I have to make sure that the island is ready for the storms. We got hit already by a huge one, so I'm doing what's necessary."

"But you've never worked this hard!" he cried. "You're not eating lunch. You're out before morning and don't come back until after it's dark. You're sick. I heard you."

Re-Nee wrapped her arms around Johnny. "I know you're worried, but I'm okay. It's just a small cold. It'll pass before you know it." Johnny didn't seem pleased by the excuse. Thinking, Re-Nee finally sighed, "Okay! You win. I only have one more day worth of work and then I'm done. Agreed?"

Johnny thought it over and finally nodded his head. "Ok." When her brother didn't leave her room she asked if there was anything else. Nodding his head, he said, "I know what happened. Talk to him. He's a nice guy. If not him, then talk to Tina. She's really worried about you."

Re-Nee laughed. "Without me noticing it, you've grown up into an adult." Turning serious, she concluded, "I won't ask how you found out, but I want you to stay out of it. I'll handle it. Ok?"

Johnny nodded, smiling at his sister's seemingly good humor. "Now go. Let me get some rest."

* * *

Re-Nee didn't realize how badly she needed the sleep until she woke up at noon the next day. Grumbling, she rolled over and screamed. She hadn't expected anyone to be in her room and waking up with Tina watching over her had startled her. "What's wrong?" Re-Nee asked. Tina looked pissed and Re-Nee wasn't sure why. "Did something happen to the kids? Luke? One of the Mall Rats?" Re-Nee waited for her friend to say something and when she didn't she screamed her name.

Tina still didn't speak, but did reach over to the nightstand. Walking over to her friend, she angrily pushed a bowl of soup into her hands. "Eat this!" Her voice was commanding, and Re-Nee knew not to argue.

"I can't believe you!" Tina yelled as she paced her anger increasing as she took a step. "I thought you'd calm down, that all you need was space. Damn you, Re-Nee! You scared the crap out of us. All this nonstop working has made you so weak that you wouldn't be able to stand if you're life depended on it.

"Not to mention that Johnny won't step away from your door because he's convinced that you're killing yourself. What were you thinking?"

Re-Nee placed the spoon back into the bowl and looking at the fuming brunette. She knew she should be careful with what she said, but she couldn't help but be defensive when being attack. "I was doing what needed to be done."

"That's bull," Tina shouted, "and you know it! You're trying to kill yourself and I'm not going to stand by and watch you do it. I want answers. What is wrong with you?" Re-Nee shook her head, ready to deny everything. Tina cut her off. "Don't lie to me. I've known you for too long now. How could you let a guy effect you this much? I thought you were made of stronger stuff than that."

Re-Nee started to say something, but immediately shut her mouth. Deep inside, her stomach clenched up and she was regretting those few bites of the soup. Jumping out of bed, Re-Nee raced for the bathroom, while Tina closely followed.

Holding the blonde's hair back, Tina waited until Re-Nee moved away from the toilet before she started lecturing again. "Do you now see why we're worried? You've worked yourself sick." Re-Nee took the wet rag Tina offered and shook her head. That slight movement had her cringing. "I'm not sick," she finally whispered.

Tina rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Ok then…" she muttered, "if you're not sick, what's wrong?" Tina waited as patiently as an angry friend could. She felt like reaching out and shaking the still sitting blonde when Re-Nee finally answered.

The Surfer's leader threw her hands up and covered her face. Mumbling the answer, she prayed that she wouldn't have to repeat herself. Peeking from between her fingers, she knew Tina hadn't heard. Taking a deep breath, she removed her hands and placed them in her lap. Tears glistened her eyes as she said, "I'm not sick. At least not the way you think I am. I'm pregnant."

* * *

A few minutes later, Tina walked out of the bathroom in complete shock. Her friend was pregnant from a one-night stand. This was the friend that always thought before speaking, that never did anything rash. Shaking her head, Tina walked into the kitchen where Danni and Cloe were waiting for her. She had barely sat down before Danni attacked.

"What did she say?" Danni stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Tina accusingly. The former Mall Rat thought it should have been her that had talked to Re-Nee. After all they were cousins. Cloe hadn't agreed, so Tina had walked up those stairs and hopefully got the answers to the questions.

"She's not feeling too good…" Tina began. Cloe sank to her knees in front of the sitting brunette. "How bad?" Cloe asked.

Danni paced away from the girls. "Dammit!" she yelled. "This is the Mall Rats' fault and that… that asshole brother of Ved."

Tina shook her head. "It's nothing serious. It'll pass in a few months… hopefully," she whispered that last part to her self. Taking a deep breath, she shared the news.

"Re-Nee? Pregnant?" Cloe whispered, shaking her head. "Is she sure?"

"Yes, I am," Re-Nee said, coming into the kitchen. After Tina had left, the blonde had washed up and gotten dressed. Now that her stomach was settled, she was hungry. Grabbing some saltines, she turned towards her friends. "And I don't want anyone else to know. We don't need the trouble that will come with this news. Hopefully, the boat will be fixed and they will be gone."

Turning, she looked out the window. "It looks like another storm is coming. I'm going to go check on the boat." Grabbing a few extra saltines, she turned around and walked outside.

The three remaining girls silently stared at one another. No one was sure what to say. Re-Nee was stubborn. When she got an idea stuck in her head, there was no way of talking her out of it. Finally, Tina shrugged and walked over to the sink to wash the dishes. Cloe walked away as she heard Josh begin to stir. Danni started to say something, but shook her head instead. Sparing one last glance at the door Re-Nee had walked out of, the brunette went to go check on the kids.

No one had noticed that another person had heard the entire conversation. His fist clenched as his body shook with rage. Fighting to keep from hitting something, he marched off to his room.

* * *

Bray slammed his door shut, rattling the pictures that hung on the walls. It wasn't good enough that Jay had impregnated Amber; he had to go pass his seed off to Re-Nee too. Bray paced his room, debating if he should tell the other Surfers. The fellow male members loved Re-Nee like a sister and would risk their lives to protect her. Didn't they deserve the right to know? Didn't they have the right to gain justice for her being wronged?

But she said she didn't want anyone else to know, and if she found out the guys had fought her battle, she'd never forgive them. She didn't want them to know until it was too late for them to do anything.

This former Mall Rat leader couldn't and wouldn't let her do that. He was tired of Jay pretending to be the alpha male. What right did he have to treat women this way? Fueled by anger, Bray left the house. Like Ved, he knew exactly where to find Jay. He didn't bother to silently creep up on his prey.

Jay instantly jumped to his feet when he heard someone approaching. Everyone had kept their distance from him, except Cloe and Ved. Occasionally, Ebony would insert her two pieces, but other than that, it had gotten lonely on the island. Seeing the look in Bray's eyes, he knew there would be trouble. Although he kept his arms at his sides, Jay spread his legs into a fighting stance.

"I'm going to kill you!" Bray yelled as he lunged at his opponent. Jay never had the chance to protect himself as Bray tackled him to the ground. The two fought, releasing anger they'd both had since the beginning. Arms flew as each tried to hit the other. Bruises began to form as they took every chance presented to kick. After about an hour's worth of fighting, the two pulled away.

"What the hell is your problem?" Jay yelled, placing his hand against a black eye that was forming.

"You're my problem." Jay wasn't the only person hurting, as Bray was holding his side. "Not only did you screw up Amber's life, you had to go and ruined Re-Nee's too." Jay shook his head, trying to make sense. He hadn't talked or spent anytime with the two blonde girls since the party. He was going to say so, but Bray spoke first.

"She's pregnant." Jay started at him confused. "I know Amber is…" he began to say, but Bray shook his head.

"Re-Nee."


End file.
